Govt playing tricks over vaccine procurement: BNP

BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Thursday alleged that the government has been playing tricks to plunder public money in the name of procuring coronavirus vaccine.

“The Health Secretary is saying it’s a G2G (Government to Government) agreement with India while Beximco  saying it’s a commercial one. Whom do you believe? We think the government has started playing tricks over the corona vaccine,” he said.

Speaking at a discussion, Rizvi said the government has created a scope to make huge money by procuring the vaccine from India through Beximco. “The health secretary was instructed to say it’s a G2G agreement to hush up the government’s ploy.”

The Center for Nationalism Studies arranged the programme on border killing at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU).

Rizvi, the BNP senior joint secretary general, said Beximco signed the deal with the Serum Institute of India for collecting the vaccine and thus made huge money. “Many people will get shares of this money. That’s why the Health Secretary is trying to cover up the matter.”

He said Beximco Pharmaceutical Company did not made the deal with India to protect people’s interests or to tackle the pandemic by bringing the vaccine. “They did it as part of a terrible conspiracy to steal public money.”

The BNP leader said the Ecnece meeting on Tuesday approved a project of around Tk 6,000 crore to buy the corona vaccine, paving the way for huge corruption. “We can say the entire amount of this money will be plundered… a large amount of the money will illegally go to government high-ups.”

He alleged Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader have been staying home to remain protected from the virus by pushing people towards death. “Those who rule the country with such selfishness can never be friends of people.”

About border killing, Rizvi said the incidents of killing of Bangladeshis by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) is growing due to the government’s “knee-jerking” foreign policy.