South Asia News
Bangladesh opposition calls strike over fuel price hike
Sep 20, 2011, 13:34 GMT
Dhaka - Bangladesh's main opposition party on Tuesday announced a day-long general strike for Thursday, to protest against the government's decision to raise fuel prices and transportation fares.
The government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed on Monday raised the prices of petroleum products by just under a cent per litre. It also tried to rationalise transport fare in line with the new fuel price.
'We have called the strike to protest fuel price hike and the government's failure in tackling law and order ... and the capital market crush,' Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, acting general secretary of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, told a press conference.
The general strike will begin at 6 am (0000 GMT) to run through 6pm.
Alamgir said the government has made the lives of millions of people more difficult through raising fuel prices, as well as repressing opposition parties.
'The government has no legitimate right to stay in power as it failed to deliver at every front,' he said.
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