Chief Adviser’s dialogue with political parties on Saturday

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus will hold a dialogue with 15 political parties on Saturday.

This will be the second such dialogue in the second spell, which started on October 6 with the participation of BNP, Jamaat, CPB and some other parties.

The Chief Adviser will exchange views with the parties on the reform process initiated by the interim government, said Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder while briefing journalists at the Foreign Service Academy on Tuesday evening.

Gono Forum, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Labour Party and Bangladesh Jatiya Party (Andaleeve) and 12-party alliance have been invited to Saturday’s dialogue, Mr Majumder said.

Responding to a question on whether the Jatiya Party, a key ally of the recently toppled Awami League government, would be invited to the dialogue, he said no decision in this regard had been taken yet. 

“The government plans to hold dialogue with some more parties, but the names are not yet finalised,” he added.

Responding to a question, he said that the interim government has no idea about the 'minus two formula'.

“We do not know what the 'minus two formula' is. It has not come up during any discussion and will never come up," he added.

He noted that the government is seriously concerned about the suffering of people due to the price hike of essential commodities and that necessary steps are being taken to address the situation.

Citing examples, he said the import duty on eggs has been slashed to 13 per cent from 33 per cent.
At the same time, the import duty on edible oil has been reduced by 5 per cent, he added. 

In response to a question, Mr Majumder said the government is determined to stop any kind of extortion to enable businesses to operate without any hassle.

He also mentioned that the government is working to dismantle the syndicates that are instrumental in manipulating the market.

Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam moderated the briefing, with two assistant press secretaries also present.
 

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