Saiful Haque, General Secretary of the Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh, stated that if the government can reduce theft, corruption, mismanagement, and system loss in the energy sector by ten percent, there would be no need to increase fuel prices. He made the remarks in a statement sent to the media on Wednesday, urging the government to withdraw its decision to raise fuel prices.

Haque expressed concern over severe load-shedding in rural areas, warning that it could seriously harm agricultural production, particularly boro rice cultivation. He said the ongoing crisis in the energy sector is responsible for the situation and called for coordinated government action to address it. He also noted that despite the fuel price hike, farmers and ordinary citizens are still struggling to access adequate fuel supplies.

Highlighting a severe diesel shortage, Haque said irrigation work has been disrupted in most districts, with thousands of hectares of boro crops drying out. He urged the government to immediately increase diesel supply for irrigation and take more active steps to import diesel.