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Open free kitchens for monga victims Hasina asks govt

STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Leader of the Opposition Sheikh Hasina yesterday asked the government to open free kitchens for the victims of famine-like situation, locally known as monga, in northern districts.
"Thousands in northern districts are starving because of monga, but the government made no sincere effort to distribute food and other essentials among them," she said at an iftar party the Awami League (AL) hosted for newspersons at its Dhanmondi office.
The call for saving the people living close to starvation came before Hasina flies to China on a weeklong visit early this morning at the invitation of the Communist Party of China.
Hasina said she would discuss bilateral issues with China and urge the Chinese businesspeople to invest in Bangladesh.
The AL president alleged corruption of the ruling BNP men in distributing vulnerable group feeding (VGF) cards among the poor in northern districts, saying, "They (ruling party men) are selling VGF cards openly."
"Food was in surplus during our rule, but all disappeared in the first two years of the coalition rule," she said, accusing the BNP-Jamaat alliance of making brisk money and skirting responsibility to people.
Hasina echoed AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil' s prediction about a change
of the government by April next year and said it would be good for people if the coalition quit as early as possible. "It will be even better if it is by the year-end," she added.
The changeover would lead to installation of a democratic rule in Bangladesh, Jalil said at a press conference on Tuesday.
Hasina counted law and order downslide, price spike of essentials and unrest in society as signs of the government's failure.
The AL is trying to form a broader alliance with the like-minded and proliberation forces in its efforts to launch an anti-government movement.
On the AL's comeback to the coming session of the Jatiya Sangsad, Hasina repeated her decision to boycott parliament.
Hasina was critical of the failure of law enforcers to rescue Chittagong businessman Jamal Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury, abducted on July 24 for ransom, saying, "Our prime minister thinks giving assurance of rescue to the abducted businessman's family is enough."
On the recent waves of violence over the death of a garment worker in police fire in Narayanganj, Hasina claimed more than one worker were killed on Monday and said: "At least four are still missing."
Senior party leaders were also present.