BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday accused the government of giving people false information about the number of Covid infections and fatalities in an effort to hide its ‘failure’ to tackle the pandemic.
“The government’s statistics are not at all accurate. As per their calculation, 12, 64, 328 people were infected till yesterday (Sunday), which is a blatant lie. People can’t undergo tests for lack of testing facilities,” he said.
While virtually inaugurating a corona-help centre of their party in Lalmonirhat, the BNP leader also said there is no scope for Covid tests in upazilas while people are facing difficulties in undergoing tests in different districts.
“Even tests are being conducted for only two hours in test centers in Dhaka and thus they’re screening out the real situation. They’re deceiving people by giving them false statistics,” he observed.
Fakhrul also said though the government showed 20,914 Covid fatalities in the country, the real figure can never be less than one lakh as many virus-infected people are dying at their homes.
Referring to a newspaper report on various inconsistencies in the official Covid information, he said the government will not be able to deal with the pandemic if it does not get the exact data. “So, you (govt) are making a mistake knowingly. This regime is cheating on the country’s people.”
The BNP leader said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) is giving false information also about general and ICU beds. “According to the health directorate, there’re 20 ICU beds in Bhola, Kushtia, Bagerhat, Patuakhali, Jamalpur districts for the corona patients. But there’s no ICU bed in these hospitals.”
He said the DGHS said 136 Covid patients were receiving treatment in four hospitals in Sylhet till Sunday. “The fact is that there’re 436 patients. This is how they’re giving false information.”
Stating that people are going through serious ordeal due to the ‘unplanned’ lockdown enforced by the government, Fakhrul said BNP leaders and activists are standing by the needy people taking the risks of their lives.
Fakhrul alleged that the ruling party leaders have started making fresh efforts to malign BNP founder Ziaur Rahman by implicating him in the murder of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
He said the ruling party leaders’ main task is to blame the BNP all the time and try to humiliate Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman by spreading ‘false’ propaganda against them.”
Source: United News of Bangladesh