IT IS possible only in Bangladesh to accuse people of being ‘anti-state’ just not for agreeing with the government and for being critical of their faulty and failed projects, especially if those projects are the ‘brainchild’ of some former bureaucrats working now as advisers to the prime minister, often designated by their own party members and colleagues as ‘super ministers’.
That’s exactly what happened on June 5 when Tawfiq Elahi Chowdhury, the energy adviser to the prime minister, accused the people who criticise the ‘quick rental’ power plants of being ‘anti-government’ and even ‘anti-state’ and called them ‘ignorant’ and ‘intellectually wayward’.
The honourable adviser seems to have forgotten the difference between the state and the government. The state is sovereign and being anti-government is not being anti-state.
It has been proved over the past couple of years, beyond any shadow of doubt whatsoever, that the expensive quick rental power plants have been colossal failures and were even termed as ‘mistakes’ by some of the ministers and lawmakers during various discussion meetings and television talk-shows.
Besides, no one has the right to call anybody anti-state just because the person/persons are critical of a project of the government.
The language and the words used by Towfiq Elahi Chowdhury are highly offensive and downright insulting, and cannot be used against any citizen just because they don’t agree with him.
He should immediately and unconditionally apologise to all people who he has offended by calling them ignorant, intellectually wayward and anti-state.
An insulted citizen
Rangpur