Staff Reporter :
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday underscored the need for forming a national committee to curb the spreading of coronavirus across the country.
“We want to cooperate with the government instead of criticising them. Let’s work together to fight the coronavirus,” he said.
Talking to reporters at his Uttara residence in the capital, Fakhrul said no national committee has yet been formed to deal with the deadly disease.
Expressing his regret, he said, “The government has not formulated a national committee yet. It is the demand of the time. There are 160 million people in Bangladesh. Our economy is also very weak and fragile. It would be a very good idea if national unity can be formed in the country to deal with such a major crisis.”
The BNP leader said, “We think that still there is time to form a national committee. It should be formed immediately.”
Asked about the process of forming such a national committee, he said, “I said about the importance of it earlier. The Prime Minister herself would have to take initiatives. It’s not necessary to hold meetings with political party or civil society representatives. She can declare about the formation of such a committee through video conference.”
Fakhrul said, “I think, it will be fruitful if we can engage the army, public representatives at grassroots level and leaders of all political parties in the efforts.”
“We are frequently saying that the issue will have to be dealt with on humanitarian grounds instead of political sentiments,” he said.
About the income of the poor, he said, the country would invite a major disaster if an effective plan to deal with the crisis was not designed immediately.
