Was Saifur Rahman’s death a road accident or conspiracy? Rizvi wonders

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has questioned whether former finance minister and BNP leader M Saifur Rahman’s death was merely a road accident or the result of a national or international conspiracy.

“It is necessary to find out whether his crash was a mere accident or whether there was a conspiracy behind it,” Rizvi said today (7 September).

He was speaking as the chief guest at a discussion organised by the M Saifur Rahman Smriti Parishad at the National Press Club to mark the former minister’s 17th death anniversary.

“Saifur Rahman was a national asset and the pride of BNP. His achievements are recognised both at home and abroad,” he said. 

He highlighted Saifur Rahman’s introduction of value-added tax (VAT), saying that despite criticism at the time, no subsequent government repealed the system, and it later became an important source of revenue for the economy.

According to Rizvi, the economy remained disciplined during Saifur Rahman’s tenure, with no widespread bank looting or money laundering. 

He also credited the former minister’s policies with helping maintain strong foreign exchange reserves.

“Saifur Rahman was an economic manager who stopped money laundering. The kleptocracy and bank looting we witnessed over the last 17 years were unheard of during his time,” he said.

Rizvi also praised Saifur Rahman’s efforts to diversify agriculture, create alternative employment and address seasonal poverty, or monga, in northern Bangladesh.

He said the former minister promoted higher agricultural production, reduced reliance on imported spices and developed rural infrastructure, creating opportunities for people to earn during off-seasons.

Rizvi further described Saifur Rahman’s work with the World Bank and IMF as a source of pride for Bangladesh.

Recalling his social welfare initiatives, Rizvi said Saifur Rahman had pioneered the concept of an integrated social safety net for poor and marginalised communities.

He also highlighted current BNP proposals, including family, farmer, expatriate and health cards, as well as canal-digging programmes, aimed at improving people’s livelihoods.