State Minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Nurul Haque Nur on Wednesday said the ongoing power and energy crisis cannot be blamed on the present government, describing it as a problem inherited from the previous Awami League government.
“This new government, which has been in power for only six months, did not formulate the energy policy that created this situation. It is now bearing the brunt of the energy policy adopted during the Awami League era,” he said while speaking at a programme organised by the Ex-Forces Association at the Jatiya Press Club.
Nur said the government is repeatedly facing questions from the public over the power and energy situation even though the current crisis was not created by it.
He added that the volatile situation in the Middle East has further intensified pressure on the government.
Cautioning that the crisis will worsen if the opposition takes to the streets instead of cooperating with the government, the state minister said, “If we step away from the negotiating table and take to the streets, the crisis will only deepen. Because of one mistake of ours, Awami League remained in power for 17 years. Such a mistake cannot be repeated.”
He said Bangladesh, under a BNP-led government, will not accept the dominance of any other state. “Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has clearly conveyed a message to Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi that Bangladesh will never again become a client state of any other country.”
Nur claimed it was widely known that Sheikh Hasina came to power in 2008 under an “Indian blueprint,” alleging that she was able to stay in power for so long because India wanted her to.
Recalling the role of the Army in the fall of Sheikh Hasina through the mass uprising, he said, “The Army played a key role in the 1971 Liberation War, the 1990 anti-autocracy movement, and the fall of Sheikh Hasina in 2024. Their contribution cannot be denied.”
The state minister also called on the country's intelligence agencies not to turn into partisan bodies, saying they must not become like the intelligence agencies of the Awami League era and must instead work in the interest of the state.