Independent Brahmanbaria-2 lawmaker Rumin Farhana sharply criticized Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed and Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku during Thursday’s parliamentary session. Speaking on inflation, law and order, and energy supplies, she said public conversations suggested that having 64 home ministers for the country’s 64 districts would not be a bad idea.

Farhana said discussions of law and order in parliament were difficult because, in her view, the home minister responded with sarcasm or wordplay. She also criticized the energy minister, referring to public complaints about rising oil prices, shortages of electricity and the unavailability of gas. She said the government’s stated progress had included controlling law and order, commodity prices and ensuring energy-sector security.

The lawmaker said people were uncomfortable with inflation and questioned employment prospects. She said the government had promised to create one crore new jobs, but claimed that 62,000 people had lost jobs after it took office and that more than 900 factories had closed. She also cited vegetable prices above Tk80, higher egg and miniket rice prices, and long queues for TCB goods.