Dhaka: Castigating State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid for his remark that power prices can go up soon, BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Saturday it is a “terror” like comment.

“People irrespective of their party and opinions are protesting the gas price hike. Reacting to the people’s protest, the State Minister for Power has said the power tariffs will also be increased. It’s a terror like reaction,” he said.

Speaking at a discussion, the BNP leader further said, “A minister can’t give reaction in such a way. It’s exposed the arrogance of the state minister of the fascist government.”

Labour Party, one of the components of the 20-party alliance, arranged the programme at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU), marking the eight anniversary of Pilkhana tragedy in 2009.

A day after the gas price hike, Nasrul Hamid on Friday said, “We want to adjust electricity prices, as costs of power generation from gas have gone up. We’ve already sent a proposal [for hiking electricity prices] to the BERC.”

Rizvi, the BNP’s senior joint secretary general, said economists are saying middle and low-income people will be hit hard if the gas tariffs are raised as the prices of essentials may go up.

“Had it been a pro-people government, it wouldn’t have raised the gas prices such a way. As they’re not accountable to people, they’re least bothered about public sufferings,” he alleged.

Rizvi said people are now going through a hard time in the country as their all basic rights have been snatched. “Even no one have the right to protest the government’s decision of hiking gas prices.”