Dhaka: BNP on Wednesday alleged that the government is going to make broadcast law after formulating the Digital Security Act to completely annihilate the media and make people dumb.

‘It’s another dangerous black law to eliminate media and make people dumb,’ said BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.

Speaking at a press conference at the party’s Nayapaltan central office, he called upon the country’s people to be vocal against the proposed bill, and put up a strong resistance against all the ‘black laws’ made by the current government, reports the UNB.

On Monday, the Cabinet approved in principle the draft Broadcast-Bill 2018 with a provision to form a seven-member Broadcast Commission to provide licences to broadcast media, including online ones, and to bring those under discipline.

Under the proposed Broadcast Bill, if anyone broadcasts false or confusing information in a discussion programme or anything against the spirit and principles of the Liberation War or against the state policy, he or she will face a maximum jail term of three years or a fine Tk 5 crore or both.

Opposing the bill, Rizvi said, ‘We think the government is making the dangerous law to stop airing news on its irregularities and corruption ahead of the election.’

He alleged that government has been making ‘hazardous black’ laws one after another to gag media and hide its corruption and misdeeds.

The BNP bemoaned that the owners will be forced to shut down their media outlets the way government is formulating repressive laws. ‘People will now turn dumb as they won’t dare speak up due to the black laws.’

He called upon the people of all walks of life and professions to wage a strong movement to ‘restore’ press freedom, freedom of expression and democracy.

Rizvi alleged that the government imposed a ‘serious misrule’ as it has got isolated from people.

He also said the government is pushing the country ‘200 years’ back by making ‘black laws’.