Govt active on TV only

The BNP yesterday alleged that the government completely failed to contain the spread of Covid-19 and it was only active on television.

"Where is the government? The government is not on the field. If you see carefully, you will find everybody is on television," said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

Addressing a press conference at party Chairperson Khaleda Zia's Gulshan office, Fakhrul criticised the government for not responding to the BNP's call to form a taskforce comprising all political parties and renowned economists of the country to fight against coronavirus.

"We repeatedly asked but they [government] did not do it," he said, adding that the technical committee formed on health sector was also politically biased.

"The government has totally failed to stand by the country's people."

The BNP leader raised a question about reopening of shopping malls, saying that whose purpose was served by this decision?

"We have to keep in mind that life is more precious than money. Basically, the government has failed to tackle the situation and pushed the country into grave danger," he alleged.

He said if the government was elected by people, it would have been accountable to the people.

"Yes, people need their bread and butter. But as the trend of spreading the virus is upward, social distancing policy should be followed strictly a few more days," he said.

The BNP leader added that factories could be opened in a systematic and planned way so that safety of all workers were ensured.

The government's mismanagement and callousness in combating the virus was found in every step, Fakhrul alleged.