BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday said their party is feeling heartburn not for the construction of the Padma Bridge, but for the massive plundering of money from the project.

“The Padma Bridge which was supposed to cost Tk10,000 crore is now being built, spending Tk30,000-40,000 crore. So, we are feeling heartburn not for the construction of the bridge but for the plundering of thousands of crores of taka from the project,” he said.

Speaking at a book launching program, the BNP leader also alleged that the ruling party leaders are looting people’s hard-earned money and siphoning off it abroad. “This is the cause of our heartburn,” he said.

Zia Parishad arranged the program at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office marking the launching of a new book on late president Ziaur Rahman.

Earlier on Wednesday, Road Transport Minister and Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader at a program said the hearts of the BNP leaders are getting burnt as the much-awaited Padma Bridge is set to be opened to traffic on June 25 next.

Fakhrul said the government has destroyed all the achievements of the nation and imposed a burden of loans on the country’s people.

“The government is now always bragging about Padma Bridge. This bridge is not being constructed with anybody’s paternal property. It is being built with the money taken from the pockets of the country’s people,” he observed.

The BNP secretary general alleged that the ruling party leaders are looting money from all mega projects in many ways.

About the under-construction metro rail project in the capital, he said many stations are being made unnecessarily within a very short distance only to plunder public money. 

“I have never seen so many stations at such close distance for any metro rail in the world. The govt’s goal is to indulge in corruption, plundering and siphoning off Bangladesh’s assets,” he added. 

Fakhrul said the nation is now facing a crisis in its existence due to misrule, corruption and plundering: “If we can not overcome it, our democracy, economy, society and future will be destroyed. We will not be able to protect the existence of the nation and the country if we can’t resist the government."

He urged the young generation to come forward to restore democracy in the country by waging a strong movement. “Let’s unite to remove the current awful, monstrous and fascist regime and establish a pro-people government with the public mandate through a credible election,” he said.