No diesel price cut now: PM
No IS in Bangladesh, Hasina says
UNB
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday ruled out the possibility of reducing the diesel price right now, reports UNB.
Whenever the loan taken by the BPC (Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation) will be repaid, then well reduce the diesel price, if necessary, she said.
The Prime Minister was responding to a supplementary question from independent MP Haji M Selim during the PMs question-answer session in Parliament. She said her government had provided subsidy when the diesel price was high on international market, prompting the BPC to take around Tk 38,000 crore as loan.
Besides, the Prime Minister said, there is a considerable amount of money still remains unpaid against VAT and duty. This is the first time that the BPC has been able to make some savings.
Hasina also alleged that when the price was high in the international market no MP came up with any demand to increase the price as it was is high on the international market. No one said anything in favour of that. Even when we increased the price there was destruction, hartal and so many incidents.
The Leader of the House said the BPC is currently repaying its loan and has already repaid Tk 5000. It has to repay morethere are VAT and tax that remain unpaidTk 15000-16000 crore is awaiting repayment, she added.
Replying to another question from treasury bench member M Shafiqul Islam Shimul she also said there is no existence of terrorist groups like Islamic State (IS) in Bangladesh, but several homegrown terrorist groups in the name of Islam are engaged in creating violence across the country.
