Online Desk: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday came down heavily on a section of business people for their unethical act of increasing the prices of essentials commodities during the Ramadan inflicting sufferings on the common people. “Holy Ramadan is coming, we know that during this month some businesspeople try to hike prices of the essentials. This is absolutely flagitious act,” she said. The prime minister said this while inaugurating 50 model mosques along with Islamic cultural centres in parts of the country in the third phase. She inaugurated the mosques joining virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban.

Hasina said that the holy month of Ramadan is the time for austerity and all have to pay attention to ensure people can do their religious activities properly during the month. “During this month this kind of profit mongers increase the prices making people suffer. This should not happen,” she said. The prime minister said that the government has already distributed special cards for the low-income group people. She mentioned that the government is providing rice at lower price (Tk 30 per kilogram) after buying that at higher price.

“Keeping the holy Ramadan in mind, the government will provide Tk 15 per kilogram of rice to additional one crore people,” she said. She also said that those who are not eligible for work, the government is providing 20 kilograms of rice each month. “Like this way we are giving people rice, edible oil, lentil, sugar and other necessary items at fair price through fair price cards,” she said. She urged the affluent people to extend their assistance towards the needy people during Ramadan. She requested all to remain vigil so that none can adulterate food, resort to hoarding, black marketeering and create artificial crisis of essentials items.

In this connection she urged Imams to tell about this during the Khutba in Jummah prayer on Friday. “Food adulteration, hoarding and black marketeering are illegal job and unnecessary give sufferings to people. You should speak on these matters more to the people and you can say during the Khutba to make people aware regarding this,” she said.

The PM said that Islam is the religion of peace and it teaches tolerance towards other religions. “Even our Prophet (PBUH) teaches us that,” she said. She mentioned about Surah Kafirun from Holy Quran in this regard. She said that no one gives authority to anyone to punish or kill another person for not following a particular religion. “Allah gives us lives, and He has the supreme authority to give lives and take lives,” she said. She said that those who believe in Islam genuinely must have tolerance towards other religions,

“In Bangladesh all religions have the same rights, people will perform their respective religious rituals, Allah will judge everything (on the Doomsday), He do not give that right to any human, all have to remember that,” she said. Hasina said that killing in the name of Islam only bring bad names for this religion. “That is very much regretful, this is happening just for few people, why we will accept that, we believe in peace, tolerance and welfare of the mankind,” she said. She mentioned that all have to follow the directives of the Holy Quran, Hadith and the Biday Hajj Speech of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH).

State Minister for Religious Affairs Ministry Md. Faridul Haque Khan and secretary Kazi Enamul Hassan also spoke at the programme. Later, she exchanged views with the cross section of people of Agoiljhara of Barishal, Fulbaria of Mymensingh and Tetulia of Panchagarh. A documentary on the model mosques was screened at the programme.

Earlier, on June 10, 2021 and January 16, 2023, PM Hasina inaugurated 100 model mosques in the first and second phases, out of total 564, simultaneously across the country. The project aims at spreading the true messages of Islam for removing misconceptions about religion.