State minister for home affairs Shamsul Huq Tuku on Sunday said that people did not respond to the half-day strike in the capital called by the national committee to protect oil, gas, mineral resources, power and ports.
'There were traffic on the roads as usual, people moved freely and shops and markets were open during the strike,' he said.
He also claimed that the oil-gas body had foreign connections and got aid from abroad.
He, however, failed to give any clear answer to the reporters when asked whether he had any report from agencies or would instruct any agency to investigate on the allegation against oil-gas protection body.
Tuku said that the idea
came from observing the activities of the organization.
He also said that the organization was protesting against the government's every move for exploration and extraction of oil, gas and coal by foreign companies.
'As we have no capabilities to explore and extract these resources by our own means we have to seek help from foreign companies to ensure energy supply,' he said.
The oil-gas body on June 18 called the half-day hartal for July 3 demanding cancellation of the government's deal with ConocoPhillips for oil and gas exploration in the deep sea hydrocarbon blocks 10 and 11 on the ground that the deal would go against national interests.
Amid protest by activists, experts and different professional groups, the government on June 16 signed a production-sharing contract with ConocoPhillips which has a provision that would allow the company to export 80 per cent of the total marketable natural gas, if Petrobangla allows it.
About the strike observed by Bangladesh Islami Andolon on the same occasion, he said that the Islamist organization was trying to establish Islam like Pakistan did or as Moududi wanted.
He termed the Islami Andolon-called strike as illogical as Bismillah
and Islam as state religion were retained in the Constitution.
He also said that as Islam was not secure in the hands of Bangladesh Islami Andolon similarly oil, gas and other mineral resources were not secure in the hands of oil-gas body.
On June 30, Islami Andolan Bangladesh secretary general Yunus Ahmed announced a daylong general strike for July 3 in the capital to protest against what they called was the removal of 'Absolute Faith and Trust in Allah' from the Constitution through the 15th amendment passed by the parliament on Thursday.
About the strike called by Bangladesh Nationalist Party on July 6 and 7, Tuku said that the opposition did it to save Arafat Rahman Koko and Tareque Rahman from the legal action for their corruption. 'BNP called the strike to save Zia family,' he added.
BNP on Sunday called a 48-hour general strike for July 6 and 7 protesting 15th amendment to the Constitution which cancelled the caretaker government system for holding national elections.
Source : New Age
