Budget passed, politics dominates parliament

Parliament’s budget session turned into a political battleground as lawmakers passed the Tk 9.38 lakh crore national budget for FY2026–27, but debates over Islami Bank, Jamaat-e-Islami’s 1971 role, ministers’ absence from the House and the opposition’s walkout repeatedly overshadowed discussions on taxes, allocations and public spending.

The session opened on June 7. Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury presented a proposed budget of Tk 9.38 lakh crore on June 11, and after weeks of debate, lawmakers passed it on June 30. The session itself has not yet ended; it has been adjourned until July 7, when members will reconvene.

According to the parliament secretariat, members spent a total of 48 hours and 54 minutes discussing the budget — 3 hours 3 minutes on the supplementary budget and 45 hours 51 minutes on the 2026–27 budget. In all, 291 lawmakers spoke on the 2026–27 budget, including the prime minister and the leader of the opposition. Of them, 200 were from the ruling party and 91 from the opposition.
Praise versus warnings over debt 

Ruling-party members largely used their floor time to praise Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s leadership and describe the budget as large, welfare-oriented, and friendly to education, health and agriculture.

They pointed to increased allocations for health, education, agriculture, social safety nets and employment as evidence of an effort to improve living standards, and argued that proposed tax cuts on essential goods would bring relief to ordinary people.

Opposition members took a starkly different view, calling the budget overly ambitious and heavily dependent on borrowing.

They argued that implementation, not size, would be the real test, warning that without controlling inflation, easing the debt burden, improving revenue collection, curbing corruption and tightening the efficiency of government spending, the budget’s promised benefits would not materialise. Structural reforms, they said, were essential. Opposition lawmakers also pressed for an interest-free, zakat-based banking system and for shifting the fiscal year to a January–December calendar.

Healthcare also featured prominently. While lawmakers welcomed plans to add hospital beds and boost health allocations, several raised concerns about doctor shortages and weak medical services at the district and upazila levels.

Members also pushed demands on drug control, local roads, educational institutions, embankments, agricultural projects and industrial development.

Jamaat’s 1971 record reopened
One of the most charged political threads of the session was the wartime role of Jamaat-e-Islami, now the main opposition party.

BNP lawmaker Rafiqul Islam called for banning the politics of parties that opposed the country’s independence, and several other members criticised Jamaat’s record during the Liberation War. Senior figures — including BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed — joined the criticism.

Delivering a pointed rebuke of Jamaat’s religion-based politics, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed told the House: “We acknowledge some of your roles in 1990 and 2024. But we cannot forget the parts of history that do not work in your favour.”

Islami Bank dispute dominates the floor
A motion brought by Opposition Leader Shafiqur Rahman triggered an extended clash between the treasury and opposition benches over the ownership, management and political influence surrounding Islami Bank.

Opposition lawmakers alleged that shares in the bank had been seized with the help of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), and demanded that shares be returned to what they called the bank’s “rightful owners,” that its former chairman and managing director be reinstated, and that a parliamentary probe committee be formed.

Ruling-party members countered that efforts were underway to destabilise Islami Bank for political gain, alleging that the bank had been forcibly taken over amid slogans of “Naraye Takbir” after the mass uprising, and that irregularities had followed — including, they claimed, financing channelled from one of the bank’s flagship projects into Jamaat-e-Islami’s election campaign.

Government-side lawmakers said Tk 11,000 crore had previously been disbursed to the bank, with a further Tk 11,000 crore extended after August 5, 2024.

Beyond the scheduled debate, several opposition members raised Islami Bank repeatedly during general budget discussion, and also pressed the government for its position on loan defaults, money laundering, and dealings involving S Alam, Adani and Summit.

Border killings debate quietly shelved
Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker Mir Ahmad Bin Kasem had submitted a notice seeking a parliamentary discussion on “push-ins” and border killings attributed to India’s Border Security Force (BSF).

The notice was accepted and a date set for debate, but on June 14 — the scheduled day — Deputy Speaker Kaisar Kamal announced the discussion had been postponed for “unavoidable reasons.”

When Kasem pressed for an explanation, the deputy speaker cited time constraints during the budget session.
Ministers’ absences draw rebuke
The opposition repeatedly questioned the absence of ministers during budget debates. Opposition Leader Shafiqur Rahman noted that representatives of the ministry under discussion were often missing from the chamber altogether, and said it would be for the Speaker to decide whether that was in keeping with the spirit of the House.

Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed asked the Chief Whip to ensure ministers’ attendance, telling the House that no state business took precedence over a parliamentary session.

A resolution of thanks — and a walkout
Midway through the session, Prime Minister and Leader of the House Tarique Rahman travelled to Malaysia and China from June 21 to 26. A day after his return, on June 27, parliament unanimously adopted a resolution thanking him for what it called the “unprecedented success” of the trip.

The motion was moved by Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and debated by him, Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and Opposition Leader Shafiqur Rahman, before being adopted by voice vote.

The opposition staged its only walkout of the session on June 28, after Local Government Minister Alamgir and Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed again criticised Jamaat-e-Islami’s wartime role and politics during budget debate.

Opposition lawmakers cited additional grievances in leaving the chamber: two bills introduced without prior notice, bill copies not being circulated in advance, being denied the chance to speak on points of order, and what they described as disproportionately generous speaking time for the ruling party.
The budget session resumes on July 7.