TM Giasuddin, a former state minister and ex-president of Shariatpur district unit of BNP, has passed away at a city hospital. He was 83.

He breathed his last at city’s Green Life Hospital around 10:45pm on Friday while undergoing treatment, BNP organising secretary Shama Obaid told UNB on Saturday.

She said Gias was admitted to the hospital a few days back with fever and diabetic problems. 

The BNP leader left behind one son, two daughters and a host of relatives and well-wishers to mourn his death.

He was buried at Taj Mahal Road graveyard in the capital’s Mohammadpur area following a namaz-e-janaza at a mosque after Zohr prayers, Shama said.

Giasuddin was former state minister for relief and rehabilitation and the president of KM Obaidur Rahman Smriti Sangsad.

BNP acting chairman Tanique Rahman and secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir expressed deep shock at his death.

In separate condolence messages, they prayed for salvation of the departed soul and conveyed their sympathy to the bereaved family members.

BNP on Saturday demanded immediate cancellation of coronavirus test fee set by the government as the party thinks it has been imposed only to discourage people from undergoing tests.

“The government has adopted the role of blood sucking like vampire by fixing Tk 200 as corona test fee. It’s now become clear that the government has taken the step to discourage people from undergoing testd,” said BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.

He said it is the responsibility of the state to conduct free coronavirus tests on its own initiative in public interest. “We call upon the government to immediately take steps for conducting free corona testa canceling the recently fixed fee.”

The BNP leader made the demand at a virtual press briefing arranged from the party’s Nayapaltan central office.

On Monday last, the government fixed the coronavirus test fee in an effort to avoid unnecessary tests of Covid-19.

Also read: Govt fixes Covid-19 test fee

According to it, anyone who wants to conduct a test from government hospitals or Covid-19 dedicated booths have to pay Tk 200 while Tk 500 if samples collected from the home of a patient suspected to be infected with the virus.

Opposing the government’s decision, Rizvi said no government in the world officially charge fee for the Covid-19 test. “The free Covid test is being conducted in Afghanistan and all other neighbouring countries. Even, this test is free in Burkina Faso, the world's poorest country in West Africa.”

He alleged that the government is trying to use the corona pandemic as an opportunity to make money. “The government has exposed how much inhuman and worst regime it is by imposing fee on coronavirus test. Many low-income people are unable to undergo corona test even though they have symptoms.”

The BNP leader called upon the government to extend the corona sample testing facility to district and upazila levels across the country.

He said most private hospitals are not doing Covid tests at the rate of TK 3,500 set by the government for lack of monitoring.

“Private hospitals are charging Tk 5,000-6000 for the test as the government is not trying to control them. 

 The Health Ministry’s main focus is on corruption and plundering instead of serving people at this bad time of pandemic,” Rizvi alleged.

BNP on Thursday formally turned down the national budget for 2020-21 fiscal year, saying it is  "unimplementable' at this time of coronavirus pandemic.

"The budget is not implementable in any way. They (govt) didn’t say specially from where they would collect so much of revenue. Even, they couldn’t reach the 50 percent of their revenue target last year,” said BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

He also said the budget has not been a time-befitting one when the country graples with coronavirus pandemic. “This budget is not acceptable in any way as they formulated it in a prototype bureaucrat format. So, we turn down this budget with hatred.”

Two days after the budget was passed in parliament, Fakhrul came up with their party’s formal reaction to it through a virtual press conference from his Uttara residence.

Earlier on Tuesday, parliament passed the Tk 568,000 crore national budget for the fiscal year 2020-21, with the slogan 'Economic Transition and Pathway to Progress'.

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal on June 11 placed the budget to attain an ambitious 8.2 percent GDP, which has been revised to 5.2 percent in line with maintaining a 5.4 percent inflation for the next fiscal overcoming all the challenges and impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Fakhrul said the government should have framed the budget for a period of exigency giving the main focus on containing the coronavirus and protecting people’s health, lives and livelihoods.

“The humanitarian aspect should have got prominence in the budget to protect people from the corona disaster, but it's not there in the budget,” he observed.

Asked whether their party will come up with any programme to register their protest against the budget, the BNP leader said it is difficult to announce any programme now amid the growing coronavirus infections.

Fakhrul said their party’s 76 leaders and activists have so far died of coronavirus while many others have been infected with the deadly virus. “So, we don’t want to take any programme which may cause corona infections.”

He alleged that many programmes in the budget were not outlined with a universal approach as those have been taken only to protect the interests of particular quarters to nurture sectarianism under political patronage.

Fakhrul said the new budget will only increase the sufferings of people who are struggling due to the coronavirus.

“This budget will push crores of hungry people who have become jobless due to coronavirus towards a famine, and it’ll widen the economic inequality…overall, the budget will widen the scope for those who indulge in plundering the country’s assets.  So, we reject the budget,” he said.

The BNP leader criticised the government for what he said making inadequate allocation for the health and agriculture sectors and focusing on mega projects in terms of allocation.

He slammed Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal for going to London for treatment when people are going through serious ordeals in undergoing corona tests and receiving proper treatment at hospitals in the country for lack of kits, oxygen and necessary equipment. “The Finance Minister went aboard when patients are dying for lack of treatment and oxygen support. It's nothing but a joke with people.”

Fakhrul also opposed the government’s move to impose corona test fee, and said the step has been taken to discourage people to undergo tests.

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday expressed deep shock at the death of Transcom Group chairman Latifur Rahman.

In a condolence message, he said Latifur made outstanding contributions to job creation in the country by setting up factories.

The BNP leader said the Transcom Group chairman earned a reputation from all quarters for his honesty in and dedication to his work as a businessman and entrepreneur.

“He was given various awards in recognition of his work,” Fakhrul said.

Stating that the Transcom Group chairman was the,founder of the country’s two leading newspapers--Prothom Alo and Daily Star-- the BNP leader said Latifur was respectful for objective news coverage.

“People will remember with gratitude his contributions to the country. He left the world prematurely,” Fakhrul observed.

The BNP leader prayed for salvation of Latifur’s departed soul and conveyed his sympathy to the bereaved family members.

Latifur Rahman, chairman and CEO of Transcom Group, passed away at his village home on Wednesday afternoon at the age of 75.

Also read: Transcom Group chairman Latifur Rahman dies

BNP on Wednesday alleged that though most countries are conducting free corona tests across the world, the government has fixed test fee in Bangladesh as it has become a ‘mass enemy’.

"There is no country in the world like Bangladesh where helpless people are starving and going door to door for food amid the coronavirus. But the government has fixed Tk 200 for corona test as it has become a big mass enemy. No corona test fee is taken even in a war-torn country like Afghanistan,” said BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.

Speaking at a programme at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office, he also said it has now become difficult for many people like rickshaw-and van-pullers and day-labourers to earn Tk 200 a day.  “So, how can they undergo the test at Tk 200? We strongly condemn and protest it.”

Earlier on Monday, the government fixed the coronavirus test fee in an effort to avoid unnecessary tests of Covid-19.

According to it, anyone who wants to conduct a test from government hospitals or Covid-19 dedicated booths have to pay Tk 200 while Tk 500 if samples collected from the home of a patient suspected to be infected with the virus.

Opposing the government’s move, Rizvi said had there been a pro-people government in the country it would not have imposed any corona test fee. “In many countries of the world, even during the British period and Pakistan period, treatment and test at government hospitals were almost free.”

He said the government is supposed to provide free food to people and reduce the prices of essentials at this time of corona pandemic, but it is increasing the prices of different services as it is least bothered about public sufferings.

“It’s an oppressive and blood sucker regime which is taking the advantage of a natural disaster targeting people. It’s a government which has become truly a mass enemy.”

Jatiyatabadi Swechchhasebak Dal arranged the programme where the families of two BNP leaders, who had been reportedly been made disappeared, were given finical assistance.

Also read: Govt fixes Covid-19 test fee