Staff Reporter, Dhaka : Bangladesh Bidi Sramik Federation, Greater Rangpur region on Saturday staged demonstrations in the district town demanding to protect the bidi industry from the aggression of foreign multinational companies and to reduce tariffs on bidis in the budget for the next 2023-24 fiscal year.

Around Thousand workers under the bannnee of Bidi Sramik Federation, Greater Rangpur region demonstrated in front of Rangpur Public Library premises around 3:00 pm to press home their demands.

Their demands are reduction of tariff from Tk 18 to Tk 16 on bidis in the forthcoming 2023-24 budget, increasing the wages of bidi workers, stopping of low quality cigarettes of British American Tobacco and stopping the aggression of British American Tobacco.

Amin Uddin (BSc), Acting President of Bangladesh Bidi Sramik Federation, presided over the demonstration.

Conducted by Rangpur (Haragas) District Bidi Sramik Union General Secretary Abul Hasnat Lavlu Mayor of Rangpur City Corporation Mostafizar Rahman was present as the chief guest. General Secretary of Bangladesh Bidi Shramik Federation Abdur Rahman were present as keynote speaker.

Bangladesh Bidi Sramik Federation Joint-secretary Harik Hossain, Lutfor Rahman, Bidi Sramik Leader Shamim Islam, Jamil Akther and among others were present as speakers.

Addressing the demo, the speakers said, Millions of workers including the helpless, disadvantaged, extremely poor, physically handicapped and widows make a living by working in the bidi sector. But the country’s ancient labor-intensive industry is being destroyed by the conspiracy of foreign multinational companies.

Multinational companies were smuggling thousands of crores of rupees abroad by burning the lungs of the people of this country. Some corrupt local officials are taking advantage of foreign multinational companies and imposing excessive taxes on bidis. Bidi owners are being forced to close their factories as they cannot bear the burden of this exorbitant tax, they said

As a result, the workers are living a dehumanized life. Besides, advance income tax on cigarettes is 3 percent and advance income tax on bidis is 10 percent. We want to repeal this discriminatory advance income tax.

Some unscrupulous bureaucrats are conspiring to increase tariffs on bidis to give foreign cigarette companies a monopoly. Due to the increase in tariffs, unscrupulous traders are making fake bidis and marketing them to evade the tariff.

The government is being deprived of a huge amount of revenue. It is even creating confusion in the minds of the people by hiding the real number of bidi workers to destroy the bidi industry and workers. We strongly condemn and protest against this, the speakers said.