Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s Assistant Secretary General Maulana Rafiqul Islam Khan has issued the following statement on 9 November 2019 expressing deep concern as Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi on Friday said it would not be possible to bring down the price of onion below Tk 100 a kilogram immediately.

“Along with the countrymen, we are deeply worried and tensed as while addressing a program in Rangpur on Friday, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi said it would not be possible to bring down the price of onion below Tk 100 a kilogram immediately. The countrymen have become surprised and speechless over his irrational remark.

When the entire nation is suffering due to severe crisis and shortages of onion, such irresponsible comments from the commerce minister would instigate the dishonest traders more. His comment would cause another hike of onion price. Already, price of onion is out of people’s consumption capacity. We are not getting the point behind such insensible comments of the commerce minister. He has clear idea about the existing stock of onion in the country. Why he and his ministry failed to increase the stock by importing onion from different countries? If they could do so, the crisis would be avoided.

The government can not ignore their utmost failure behind this onion crisis. I am urging the commerce minister withdraw his irresponsible comment and also to step down immediately after conceding his failure.