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“The meeting thinks the number of the poor people will increase, and public sufferings will deepen further, due to the price hike of fuel oil and LPG, as the incomes of many have declined, while many others lost their jobs during the pandemic,” Fakhrul said.

He said BNP policymakers decided that BNP and its associate bodies will observe programmes protesting the price hike.

Fakhrul said the meeting expressed deep concern over a survey that found that the number of “new poor” in the country stands at around 3.24 crore.

A survey jointly conducted by Power and Participation Research Centre, and Brac Institute of Governance and Development revealed that 79 lakh people joined the previous 2.45 crore new poor population, following Covid-19’s second wave.

Unplanned restrictions to contain the coronavirus, not announcing financial incentives for low-income people and the informal sector, depriving mill and factory workers of due wages, and not providing marginalised people with food and other assistance exacerbated the situation, the BNP policymakers observed.