Staff Reporter :
In protest against the recent ban on journalists’ access to Bangladesh Bank, journos have boycotted the speech of Bangladesh Bank Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder at the post-budget press conference of the Finance Minister.
The press conference began on Friday afternoon at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital, with Finance Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali delivering the opening remarks.
On behalf of the journalists, President of the Economic Reporters Forum (ERF) Mohammad Refayet Ullah Mirdha addressed the Finance Minister and said, “The Governor of Bangladesh Bank has banned journalists from entering the bank. As a result, we have decided that none of us will listen to his speech. We request that you ensure he does not deliver any speech here. If the Governor speaks, we will boycott the press conference.”
After that, governor Abdur Rauf Talukdar made no statement throughout the press briefing.
However, the Finance Minister did not comment on the matter during the press conference. Following this, journalists started asking their regular questions about the proposed budget.
Industry Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, Planning Minister Major General (Retd.) Abdus Salam, Housing and Public Works Minister RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury, Agriculture Minister Md. Abdus Shahid, Cabinet Secretary Mahbub Hossain, Bangladesh Bank Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder, and Finance Secretary Dr. Md. Khairuzzaman Mozumder, among others, were present at the press conference.