Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader this afternoon said he was not aware that Prothom Alo reporter Samsuzzaman Shams had been picked up.

Shams, who was held by law enforcers from Savar early today, has been sued under Digital Security Act. The complainant accused him of publishing a "false and fabricated" report in the daily.

Referring to the report, Obaidul Quader, who was addressing a view-exchange with journalists at the Secretariat, said it was "false" and "politically motivated".

"Such a big lie! Does apology solve problems? It is an offence," he said when asked whether picking up a journalist was right when the daily "corrected its mistakes".

When his attention was drawn that the issue could have been raised before the Press Council, the minister said, "You [journalists] raise the point…Everything has legal procedures."

Questioned how justified it was to take such a prompt action against the reporter instead of unscrupulous businessmen who manipulate the market, Quader said, "You are not reacting to false news. But you are reacting to him being picked up. However, I don't know [whether he is picked up]. Since I don't know the matter, how can I respond?"

He added, "Price hike is a global problem. Not only Bangladesh, but countries around the world are facing this. The cost of living is jumping up. The government is sincerely trying to reduce the commodities price."