Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the local government minister and BNP’s secretary general, warned on Monday of “tough times ahead” as the Middle East conflict lifts oil and commodity prices.

He spoke after inaugurating a river excavation project in Thakurgaon. The fighting, he said, would also hit Bangladesh hard. “Oil prices will rise, prices of goods will rise,” he added. “We must endure and move forward.”

Alamgir also criticised opposition parties for exploiting religion. “Some leaders couldn’t take us to heaven,” he said. “We’ll go to paradise through our work. Religion shouldn’t be exploited. Ninety percent of the people in this country are devout. They don’t like religious commerce.”

Addressing an ongoing fuel shortage, the minister acknowledged that the war had tightened supply. But he warned against mob violence at petrol stations. “Vandalising pumps isn’t acceptable,” he said. “We’ll suppress mobs with a firm hand. We won’t allow anyone to act outside the law through brute force.”

Alamgir defended the government’s record on agriculture, citing loan waivers promised before elections and now delivered. “We understand the plight of our farmers,” he said, pointing to storm‑damaged wheat and rain‑flattened potato crops.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, he added, was overseeing support measures, including a family card scheme that would eventually cover tens of millions of women nationwide. “All our projects will be completed,” Alamgir said. “Twenty thousand canals will be excavated across the country.”