Commerce minister Tipu Munshi on Tuesday came under severe criticism in parliament by the opposition parties’ lawmakers over the price hike of essentials.
They alleged the government has failed in controlling the prices of commodities. Although the commerce minister is an experienced businessman, he has failed to control the syndicate in the market.
In response to this censure, the minister claimed it is widely said that he is a businessman. While he has been involved in business for 40 years, his political career is 56 years long.
"Is it my fault to become a businessman," the minister asked the parliamentarians.
The debate erupted on Tuesday while the lawmakers addressed the discussion over the passage of a bill titled 'Trade Organisation Bill-2022'.
In the discussion, BNP lawmaker Harunur Rashid said the prices of gas and oil are being increased. The government has failed in controlling the price of commodities. They have taken some initiatives. But there is a lack of transparency. There is also a question whether the businessmen are making hefty profits being the representative.
The syndicate [from the ruling party] is controlling the market. The government will have to adopt effective measures refraining from uttering irrelevant words, including saying Tarique Rahman is controlling the business from London and the BNP is responsible for the price hike, he added.
Another BNP parliamentarian Rumeen Farhana said there was a hullabaloo over hiking the oil price. The syndicate earned Tk 10 billion in 15 days. The government is a syndicate. There is no difference between syndicate and the government.
Jatiya Party (JaPa) lawmaker Pir Fazlur Rahman said, "We have to acknowledge the truth. The commerce minister couldn’t control the syndicate. Taka thousands of crore (billion) have been taken away by increasing the oil price. He couldn’t take any action."
Another JaPa parliamentarian Mujibul Haque said people are being affected. The market will have to be monitored strictly to protect the people’s interest. The syndicate can’t increase the price without the government's cooperation.
It is being said that the price has soared because of the war. The price of imported products could increase. But why would the price of native goods and the goods imported before the war rise, he asked.
Mujibul Haque demanded reducing the price of essential commodities by providing subsidies.
Gono Forum lawmaker Mukabbir Khan said the war between Russia and Ukraine erupted on 24 February. But he had demanded reducing the price of commodities in the parliament session long before the war erupted. It won’t be fair if the war is brought to the fore as the reason for hiking prices.
In response to the criticism, Tipu Munshi said he never said that the price of edible oil hiked due to the war. The oil price has to be fixed every month. The price has increased in the global market now.
The minister said the government doesn’t control any business anywhere in the country. It helps businessmen. Anyone can import the oil. There is no way to think that the government is a syndicate.
Those who are being termed as members of syndicate are not the lawmakers and involved in politics, he added