Bangladesh, June 2 -- Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has condemned the government's latest fuel price increase, calling it "anti-people" and demanding its immediate withdrawal, as the party steps up its economic critique ahead of the national budget.

In a statement issued on Monday, Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar said the fresh hike came just weeks after fuel prices had already been raised by 8 to 12 percent - with some categories seeing even steeper increases - compounding the financial strain on ordinary households.

Porwar warned that the earlier round of price increases had already triggered a rise in the cost of daily essentials, including rice, lentils and edible oil, pushing them beyond the reach of many consumers.

He arg...