Issuing a strong warning against hoarding of rice, Prime Minister and Leader of the House Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said her government will not allow anybody to play a game with the food of the people.

‘We’re taking an account of the rice stock in every godown of Bangladesh and the rice stock of the millers ... we will examine further whether anybody is creating an artificial rice crisis through hoarding,’ she said, reports the BSS.

In this connection, the Leader of the House said her government must conduct a search in this regard and take action against those who will be found guilty. ‘We won’t allow anybody to play a game with the food of the people,’ she asserted.

The premier said this while delivering her winding up speech in the 17th session of 10th Jatiya Sangsad that was prorogued tonight.

Pointing out that there is no reason for price spiraling of rice, she said: ‘We will have to find out those culprits who are playing a game in this connection.’

The prime minister said her government has already started importing of rice from abroad. ‘We won’t let the people suffer from food shortage Insha Allah and everybody could remain sanguine in this regard,’ she said.

The Leader of the House also sought cooperation from the countrymen to find out the elements who are involved in hoarding of rice.

She said it is unfortunate for Bangladesh that some people sometimes play games with the countrymen which the country witnessed in 1974.

Sheikh Hasina said General Ziaur Rahman had made the minister a man who was the food secretary in 1974. ‘So we’ll have to think about the link between the 1975 massacre, the famine of 1974 and making the food secretary the minister,’ she said.

‘There is a matter in this event which induces us to remain alert,’she said.

While talking about the rice production in the current season, Sheikh Hasina said the agriculture minister mentioned in the House that adequate quantity of Aush rice will be produced in the current season.

‘We’re expecting that 27, 9000 MT of rice would be produced in the current season and if the production is achieved, there will be no crisis of rice,’ she said.