Dhaka: Hitting out at Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid for his remark that not only officials but also the ministers are ‘thieves’, BNP on Monday said it has exposed that the current government is a ‘self-declared thief and corrupt’.

Speaking at a press conference at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office, party senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi also said Nahid has sent out a dangerous message for the education sector by urging officials to ‘take bribe at a tolerable limit’.

While distributing laptops among officials at the Directorate of Inspection and Audit at the Shikkha Bhaban on Sunday, the Education Minister reportedly said, ‘My request to you is that you take bribe, but you must keep it at a tolerable limit.’

Mentioning that bribery is prevalent everywhere, Nahid also said not only the officials, but also the ministers are ‘thieves’, and he himself also ‘falls in the same category’.

Reacting to the comment, Rizvi said what the students will learn about honesty and morality if the country’s Education Minister makes such remarks.

He said the minister apparently urged the students to learn how to take bribe at a tolerable level to succeed instead of being a good human.

The BNP leader said Nahid’s comments will encourage students to bow down to corruption, extortion, terrorism, hooliganism and plundering, and indulge in eve-teasing, drug abuse and other misdeeds instead of building an ideal life with moral education.

He also said it now seems that the Education Minister is working to ‘destroy’ the education sector.

Referring to Finance Minister AMA Muhith’s remark that the government itself wanted the rice price to increase to some extent, Rizvi said his assertion manifested that the government is mocking with people.

He said the government is increasing the prices of essentials for plundering public money as it is least bothered about people’s sufferings. ‘The government is mocking with people’s hunger as it’s an unelected and cruel regime.’

Mentioning that the Finance Minister’s comment has exposed the government’s anti-people attitude, the BNP leader strongly protested and condemned it.