The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party said on Thursday that the Awami League government had taken an initiative to increase the price of electricity and fuel to take revenge on the people for not taking part in the January 7 general election.

Addressing a press conference at the BNP Naya Paltan central office, the party’s senior joint secretary general, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, condemned and protested against the initiative, saying that the anti-people's government was not accountable.

‘There is no public mandate for this illegal government. Therefore, the government is increasing the price of electricity and fuel to make people’s lives miserable. This decision will be extremely cruel,’ he said.

The government has announced that it will increase the price of electricity and fuel in March.

Rizvi said that if the price of electricity and fuel was increased, it would hurt the public.

‘Agriculture, industry, and factories will be in deep crisis. The price of goods on the market is already increasing. People are struggling to buy essential food. On top of that, this price hike will bring a severe blow to the common people,’ he said.

People of middle- and low-income groups are already living in severe hardship, he said, adding that the income of 80 per cent of people in the country has not increased.

He said that the government was putting people in danger by increasing the price of electricity and fuel.

He also commented that ahead of the month of Ramadan, the price hike on electricity would be a sore throat for people.

Rizvi also claimed that the burden of a huge amount of debt derived from loans from local and foreign sources had fallen on the people.

He said that the country's Treasury had become almost empty due to the government's horrendous financial policy.

'Now, due to the dollar crisis, people feel that the hike in electricity and fuel prices is an inhumane game by the government,’ he said, adding that the energy sector is another demonic method of sucking people’s blood in different ways.