UNB :
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday labeled the proposed national budget for the fiscal year 2024-2025 as anti-Bangladesh, saying it contains new schemes to facilitate the embezzlement of public money by the ruling party-backed looters.
“The government has become looters. The budget crafted by these looters seems to be aimed at further indulging in plundering. I believe that fresh plans have been devised in the budget for embezzlement (of public money),” he said.
Talking to reporters on the budget in front of the BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office, Fakhrul also said the worst aspect of the proposed budget is the lack of any direction towards new job creation.
“The entire budget seems to be formulated for mega projects, mega theft, and corruption. So, I not only call this so-called budget anti-people but also
anti-Bangladesh,” he observed.
Earlier in the day, Finance Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali placed a Tk 7,97,000 crore proposed national budget for 2024-25 in parliament.
Giving his party’s initial reaction to the budget, Fakhrul said the proposed expenditure is much higher than the revenue collection target.
He warned that this imbalance will only intensify public suffering and increase their burden.
The BNP leader also feared that the government will cut public pockets to meet its expenditures.
Besides, he said the government will take loans or grant from abroad as well as from the local banks to bridge the gap between expenditures and revenue earnings.
“In the end, it will be the people who bear the consequences.
They are already grappling with the burden of unbearable increases in the prices of commodities, fuel, and utility services, including power,” Fakhrul said.
He said the government plans to further increase the prices of utility services in the near future, leaving the country’s people in a precarious situation. “Many individuals are returning to rural areas, leaving cities struggling to sustain their livelihoods.”