Rizvi questions sabotage over energy crisis, alleges intelligence failure over AL procession

BNP acting secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Saturday questioned whether sabotage or a deliberate plot is behind the ongoing energy and power crisis, while alleging failures by law enforcement agencies and intelligence services over a recent public procession by the banned Awami League.

He made the remarks at a discussion titled “Current Political Situation and the Way Forward” organised by the 12-party alliance at the National Press Club on Saturday.

On the energy crisis, Rizvi, also the Prime Minister's Political Adviser, said the opposition had the right to criticise the government, speak inside and outside parliament and announce political programmes, but people did not respond positively to excessive agitation over issues unrelated to reality.

He said Bangladesh was facing shortages of gas, fuel and electricity, but it would be unfair to blame the government, which had been in office for only six months, for the crisis. He attributed the situation largely to the war in the Middle East.

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Rizvi said around 140 to 150 vessels carrying oil from energy-rich Middle Eastern countries normally pass through the Strait of Hormuz, but shipping has been disrupted by the conflict because of concerns over mines and possible air strikes.

The disruption was also affecting Bangladesh’s fuel supplies, he said, adding that the country relied on imported gas and LNG to supply the national grid and generate electricity.

Rizvi said the crisis could not therefore be blamed on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, the government or the BNP-led alliance, arguing that global circumstances were playing a major role.

However, he said a series of technical failures amid the crisis had raised questions.

He said an LNG terminal at Maheshkhali used for regasification was currently out of operation due to a technical problem and was expected to resume operations soon.

He also referred to the disruption in electricity supplies from Adani Power’s plant in Jharkhand, India, after one of its units developed a problem.

“Now I feel there may be something behind these incidents. Is there a mystery? Is there sabotage somewhere?” Rizvi said.

He said the repeated technical failures and shutdowns of power plant units had raised questions among the public.

According to Rizvi, the government was paying power plants’ outstanding dues in instalments and was also paying its dues under electricity-related agreements with India. He questioned why problems were occurring one after another despite such payments.

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He also questioned whether there was any attempt to disrupt or divert attention from the government’s public welfare programmes.

Rizvi said the government had introduced programmes such as the Family Card, Farmer Card and old-age allowance, and questioned whether there was any conspiracy to obstruct such initiatives.

Turning to the recent procession by the Awami League, whose activities are banned across the country, Rizvi questioned the roles of law enforcement agencies and intelligence services.

He said the banned party had recently attempted to hold a public procession and questioned how so many people had gathered without the intelligence agencies knowing about it.

He called for an investigation into what the police administration had been doing at the time.

Criticising the Awami League’s political activities, Rizvi said the party might be a political organisation, but its activities needed to be subject to legal scrutiny.