Gas Crisis is Created by the Previous Government: LGRD Minister

Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has stated that the current gas crisis was not created by the BNP government, but rather inherited from the previous administration. He also remarked that the previous regime completely ruined the country's banking sector, adding that the BNP government is now working to fix and develop these sectors.

He made these remarks on Friday (August 7) while addressing a seminar titled "The Role of Media in Sustainable Democracy," organized by the Television Editors Council at a hotel in the capital.

The minister noted that it took Western countries three to four centuries to establish democracy, yet some people are already labeling the current government a failure in less than five months, which he described as extreme intolerance.

Highlighting the importance of the media, he said democracy can only be sustainable when the media remains strong. He pointed out that many television stations lack wage boards and arbitrarily lay off employees without valid reasons, yet there is no protest against such practices. Therefore, journalists must unite for their own collective interests.

Speaking at the same seminar, Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan said that journalism should not be mixed up with corporate business. He added that the July bloodshed has created new possibilities and opportunities, and the government is firmly resolved to swiftly establish a sustainable media environment.