BNP opened fire on demonstrators demanding electricity: Hasan

Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud today said that during the BNP regime, the government opened fire on demonstrators demanding electricity at Kansat in Chapainawabganj.

"During a movement demanding electricity in Kansat, the BNP government opened fire and killed people. They only installed pillars for supplying electricity. So, BNP has no moral right to talk about electricity," he said.

Hasan, also ruling Awami League (AL) joint general secretary, said this while exchanging views with journalists at the Secretariat here in the afternoon.

He said BNP had inaugurated an 80-megwatt power plant at Tongi during their regime from 2001 to 2006, which was run only for two days and it was shutdown subsequently.

The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) stopped their funding in power sector raising graft allegation against BNP government, the minister said, adding: "That's why, I would like to suggest the BNP (BNP leaders) to see their own faces on the mirror and to refrain from the way of confusing the people".

Only 40 percent people of the country were under electricity facility before Awami League formed the government in 2009 and the rate was lower than that of during BNP regime, Hasan said.

"But today cent percent people across the country have been brought under the power facility and our government has reached the electricity facility all households of remote villages," he added.

Apart from using refrigerators and watching televisions, the minister said, the rural people now use air-conditions.

Mobile phones of 15 crore, electric cars and three-wheeler-run vehicles run through electric charge, Hasan said, adding that at least hundreds of megawatts of electricity are consumed there too.

Highlighting the global situation, Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud said due to the recent fuel crisis across the globe, electricity for heating water has been stopped in Germany and it has been done in many European countries, too.

More than one leading newspapers have reported that people in the UK, lived without food for several hours to meet the rising cost of fuel and food prices, he said.

Electricity is being rationed in Australia, he said, adding that people in the US have been informed by SMS to save electricity.

Noting that this crisis is prevailing all over the world and Bangladesh is not an isolated island, he said, adding that that's why the Prime Minister has called for economical use of electricity in Bangladesh.

Over the load-shedding issue, the minister hoped that this situation will end soon.

Lashing the BNP for making statements over the load-shedding issue, he criticized BNP, saying that they don't have that moral right to talk about the load-shedding in such way.

Highlighting the history of the country, he said from 1902 to 2008, the highest power generation capacity in this country was 3300-3400 megawatts.

Lauding the AL-led government for improving the power generation capacity of the country, Hasan said under the leadership of Awami League, that capacity has increased to more than 24,000 megawatts in the last 14 years.

In response to a query of journalists about the obstructing BNP-rally, he said the government has never obstructed the BNP to hold rally. "We want the BNP to hold rallies as rallies are being held in Dhaka city," he said.

He urged BNP-men to hold movements and meetings in a systematic matter in line with democratic norms and values.

As BNP has burnt buses, trucks, launches in the past, the transport-owner and workers have called the strike, he said, adding that if Khulna and Barishal will also further call for the strike then the reason will be the same.