Food minister threatens resignation after RFB official says he owns rice mill

Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder, in a live webinar, threatened to resign after an official of Right to Food Bangladesh (RFB) said that the minister himself was an owner of a rice mill.

While addressing a webinar titled 'Food production and import situation' organised by Right to Food Bangladesh, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) economist Nazneen Ahmed was discussing how mill owners affect the rice market. 

Suddenly, an official of Right to Food Bangladesh said that the minister himself was the owner of a rice mill.

Hearing the allegation, chief guest of the webinar Chandra Majumder angrily asked, "Who raised this allegation? I don't want to run the ministry with this stigma. If necessary, I will leave the ministry.

"If you want, I will resign now and I think I should leave this webinar," the minister said.

The minister later explained that he is a farmer and grew up in a farmer family. He had to hear the allegations of 'rice trader' many times and it was damaging his reputation.

"There is no rice mill in my village Niyamotpur," thee minister said, denying the allegation.

The Right to Food Bangladesh official later apologised. 

Right to Food Bangladesh and PKSF Chairman Qazi Kholiquzzaman presided over the webinar and also apologised for the incident.