<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">BNP senior leader Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury on Thursday alleged that the ruling-party-backed syndicate is hiking the prices of imported goods unusually by establishing its control on the market and supply chain.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;“Those who are looting the market every day and increasing the prices of goods are the people of the Awami League syndicate. Only those who belong to Awami League can now open LCs for the import of goods,” he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Speaking at a discussion, the BNP leader also said dollars are now being given to the ruling party-supported importers to open LCs and import goods.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“But ordinary importers are not able to import the goods as they’re not given dollars. So, those who are importing goods by opening LC are selling the imported goods in the market at high prices. As the supply chain is in the hands of people belonging to the ruling party, they are controlling the market and hiking the prices of the imported goods,” he observed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Jatiyatabadi Sanskritik Dal, the BNP's cultural front, arranged the programme at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity protesting the price hikes in oil gas and all essential goods and a recent attack on BNP joint secretary general Khairul Kabir Khokon in Narsingdi.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Khosru, a BNP standing committee member and a former commerce minister, said the main reason behind the increase in commodity prices is the Awami economy model. “They (AL) have created that model for plundering, but the common people of Bangladesh are paying a heavy price for it…the lines behind the trucks of TCB are getting longer day by day, exposing people’s real condition.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to the current economic model of Awami League, he said the government will extract money from the people's pockets by increasing VAT, taxes, and the prices of gas, electricity, oil, and daily essentials, including imported goods. “Later, the ruling party people will loot the money and siphon off it abroad.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The BNP leader bemoaned that the resources and money of the country are being accumulated in the hands of less than one percent today, destroying the lives of common people. “This wealth is not only being accumulated in Bangladesh as they (AL leaders) are taking it abroad and making assets in Canada, Dubai, USA, UK, Malaysia, and Turkey by siphoning off money abroad. “People belonging to Awami League are accumulating wealth all over the world.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He called upon people from all walks of life to get united to protect the country and establish a pro-people government through a fierce movement.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Referring to the meetings of US State Department Counsellor Derek Chollet with the PM, Foreign Minister, and senior journalists, Khosru said the US senior official has given a clear message that the relation and cooperation of America will decline with a country where democracy erodes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"It’s a very strong warning and he issued it sitting on the soil of Bangladesh, and said there is no compromise on the issue of human rights, democracy, and press freedom. The democratic countries that believe in human rights, the rule of law, public security, and freedom of speech are now saying these words,” he observed. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>