Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has urged the public to remain patient amid electricity and gas shortages, emphasising that long-standing energy crises cannot be resolved overnight and require prudent, long-term planning.
“We must remain patient when confronting any crisis. We have to formulate plans with a cool head and gradually overcome the situation,” he said while addressing a large public gathering at Old Stadium in Kishoreganj town on Sunday afternoon.
The prime minister laid the blame for the acute energy deficit firmly on the previous Awami League administration, arguing that years of “unplanned policies and reckless measures” had directly precipitated today’s fuel and power shortfalls.
He announced that when parliament resumes on 27 August, the government will present a comprehensive roadmap designed to resolve the national electricity crisis within ten years.
Tarique’s remarks came as he officially launched the distribution of Family Cards, a flagship electoral commitment of the BNP government, during a ceremony at the Old Stadium.
Pressing a button on a laptop to mark the rollout, he oversaw the immediate transfer of digital financial assistance to the mobile phones of 457 women from Ward 8 of Latibabad Union in Kishoreganj Sadar Upazila. Two beneficiaries also took to the stage to share their experiences of the scheme.
At the same event, the prime minister inaugurated another prominent campaign promise: providing official honorariums to religious leaders. A total of 444 recipients were awarded funds, including 432 imams, muezzins, and khadims from local mosques across Kishoreganj Sadar, ten Hindu priests representing five temples, and two Christian priests from a local church.
Earlier in the day, Tarique travelled by road from Dhaka, arriving at Mirzapur Chairman Bari Ghat in Pakundia Upazila around 11:30 am. There, he launched National Fisheries Week 2026 by releasing fish fry into the Old Brahmaputra River.
Following an inspection of the Carp Hatchery Complex in the Achmita area of Katiadi, he officially inaugurated National Fisheries Week 2026 and presented the National Fisheries Awards 2026 at the Achmita George Institution grounds.
During his address, he announced an ambitious initiative to rehabilitate unused ponds, haors, baors, and other wetlands across the country, allocating them to local youths for commercial fish farming.
“Fish fry will be stocked in these public water bodies, and concrete steps will be taken to directly involve local young people in aquaculture,” he said, emphasising that the BNP’s political platform remains firmly centered on practical, grassroots rural development.
Addressing the crowd, he asked whether key government initiatives – including the fish stocking drives, Family Cards, Farmer Cards, youth welfare, and financial honorariums for religious figures – would meaningfully transform the lives of ordinary citizens.
The audience responded with a resounding “Yes.”
He then asked if reviving canal excavation projects would successfully secure irrigation and water access for farming communities, drawing another enthusiastic affirmative from the crowd.
Warning against political agitation, the prime minister urged the public to remain vigilant against groups attempting to exploit energy shortages to provoke street unrest.
He noted that ordinary citizens, small business owners, workers, and daily wage earners, suffered most during public disruptions, while instigators profited from the chaos.
Tarique also directed sharp criticism at Jamaat-e-Islami, the main opposition party in parliament, urging the public to judge the organisation by its historical record. “We must evaluate their current actions through the lens of their past,” he said, citing their controversial roles in 1971, 1986, and 1996, and pointing out their absence from street demonstrations during the previous 17 years of political struggle.
During the stadium ceremony, Kishoreganj-4 MP Fazlur Rahman formally appealed to the prime minister to construct an elevated bridge project across the local haor wetlands to improve regional connectivity.
Concluding his day-long tour, the prime minister visited the historic Sholakia Eidgah ground at around 6:45 pm, where he inaugurated a local infrastructure development project and participated in a tree-planting drive organized by the district chapter of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal.
