BNP acting secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has on Tuesday expressed hope that normal gas supply across the country would be restored by the first or second week of September.
He made the remarks while speaking to reporters after paying tribute and offering prayers at the graves of BNP founder and late president Ziaur Rahman and former prime minister Khaleda Zia at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the capital.
Rizvi said Bangladesh had also been affected by the global energy crisis, particularly due to the US-Iran conflict and disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
“This is a global crisis. Ships cannot pass through the Strait of Hormuz because of the US-Iran war, causing disruptions to fuel supplies. When one or two ships attempted to use the route, they faced bomb attacks,” he said.
He said Tarique Rahman was taking steps to address the energy crisis, allocating Tk40,000 crore in addition to the power and energy budget to resolve the gas shortage.
Referring to the technical problems at the Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) at Maheshkhali, Rizvi said the repairs had already been completed and regasification operations had resumed.
“Regasification has now started. Normal gas supply will be ensured by the first or second week of September, and electricity supply will also be available. We are already seeing signs of improvement,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion of BNP’s founding anniversary, Rizvi said the party believed in politics based on fulfilling commitments made to the people.
He said the BNP had come to power through a free and fair election and that prime minister had been working tirelessly day and night to fulfil the promises made to the people after assuming office.
Addressing the challenges facing the party and the government, Rizvi said there were various challenges, conspiracies and plots, but Tarique Rahman was leading the government while confronting them.
“If there were no challenges, there would be no achievement in overcoming them and delivering positive results,” he said.
Rizvi said the government was also working to implement BNP’s commitments, including the Farmers’ Card, Family Card and allowances for Imams and Muazzins.
Asked about criticism that the BNP was failing to maintain a distinction between the party and the government, despite the two being separate entities, Rizvi described the issue as an “ambiguous term”.
“The people voted for the party, and the party formed the government. The ministers in the government are BNP leaders. Most of them are BNP leaders. So when people voted for and elected the party, its members will naturally run the government,” he said.
He said the BNP had repeatedly stated that its leaders and activists, from grassroots members to the national level, were part of the government’s broader efforts.
“Our leaders and activists will properly inform the people about all government programmes being implemented for public welfare and in the public interest. There is no contradiction in this,” Rizvi said.
He stressed that the party and the government remained separate entities, but the responsibility of running the administration rested with the BNP and its leaders.
