<div><b><br></b></div><div><b>BNP Chairperson's Advisory Council Member Zainul Abedin Farroque on Monday blamed Awami League-backed syndicates for unusual hike in prices of essentials.</b></div><div><br></div><div>“The traders who are responsible for price hike are part of Awami League syndicate. AL leaders fill up their pockets by depriving mass people. Awami League has snatched people’s all rights including right to food,” Farroque said.</div><div><br></div><div>He made the comments at a human chain programme organised by Trenomool Nagorik Andolan in front of&nbsp; the Jatiya Press Club protesting hike in prices of essentials.</div><div><br></div><div>The prices of essential commodities keep soaring and have gone beyond the purchasing capacity of&nbsp; people as the ‘illegal’ govt has snatched their rights, he added.</div><div><br></div><div>Farroque, also a former opposition chief whip in parliament, said this government is not the government of people. “They don’t think about people. Their one and only intention is laundering money abroad.”</div><div><br></div><div>He said a former minister had laundered thousand crores taka to London but the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is ‘sleeping’ instead of investigation.</div><div><br></div><div>Farroque said people will suffer a lot during the holy month of&nbsp; Ramadan if the skyrocketing&nbsp; prices can’t brought within the purchasing capacity of mass people .</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader blamed the ruling party for destroying democracy and said that the AL grabbed the power with the help of India and without people’s mandate. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div><div><br></div>