Calling democratic govt's budget 'partisan' is a despicable remark: Home minister
The minister says preparing a budget in three months on the ruins of 17 years of financial mismanagement is the government's greatest achievement
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has hit back at criticism of the proposed national budget, saying that describing a budget proposed by a democratically elected government as a "partisan budget" is a despicable remark.
"This budget is certainly the budget of the BNP and its electoral alliance partners. If someone calls that partisan – holding a democratically established government accountable for a partisan budget – that is a despicable comment," he said today (12 June) while inspecting the venue for a public rally to be held ahead of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's visit to Cox's Bazar.
Salahuddin said the government's greatest achievement was preparing a budget in just three months while standing on a financial and banking system that had been nearly destroyed over the previous 17 years.
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He said the budget's approach – simultaneously reducing tax burdens while expanding the revenue base – would increase revenue collection over time, which would in turn strengthen the contribution of domestic revenue to the development budget.
He added that the government has adopted a policy of reducing dependence on loans and foreign aid to achieve self-reliance.
"If our development budget is always dependent on banks and foreign assistance, we will remain dependent forever," he said.
