Saifur Rahman's death: accident or conspiracy—needs to be examined: Rizvi

He said this in his speech as the chief guest at a discussion meeting organized on the occasion of the 17th martyrdom anniversary of M. Saifur Rahman at the National Press Club in the capital on Monday.

Rizvi said Saifur Rahman played an important role in placing Bangladesh's economy on a strong foundation. It is natural that there are questions about his death. The matter needs to be properly investigated and the real cause should be found.

Highlighting Saifur Rahman's economic reforms, Rizvi said that although the introduction of value-added tax (VAT) drew widespread criticism, it later played an important role in the country's economy. He also claimed that during his time the economy was disciplined and incidents like bank looting and large-scale money laundering were not seen.

Praising Saifur Rahman's role in poverty alleviation and the development of the rural economy under the BNP government, Rizvi said initiatives were taken to reduce poverty through increasing agricultural production, developing rural infrastructure and creating alternative employment.

Rizvi also mentioned Saifur Rahman's role at the international level. He highlighted his involvement with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund and his ideas about a social safety structure for poor and marginalized people.

Rizvi said Saifur Rahman's economic thoughts and contributions must be presented to the new generation. Following the path he showed, efforts should continue to turn the country into a poverty-free and prosperous state.

The meeting was presided over by Saifur Rahman's younger son and chairman of the parliamentary standing committee, M. Naser Rahman. Leaders and activists from various levels of BNP and its affiliated organizations were present.