BNP denounces national budget as friendly to looters

Slamming the government for offering an amnesty to plunderers, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday described the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2022-2023 as friendly to looters, not the common people.

"Budget will help those who stole, robbed and looted public money and stashed the cash abroad like PK Halder. They can now bring black money from abroad by paying 7% tax and no one can raise any question against it," he said.

Speaking at a rally, the BNP leader also said the money launderers will not be caught by the ACC and the apex court will not raise any question against them if they pay the tax.

"So, can I say those who have presented this budget are the government of the common people? Is it a budget for common people? This is a regime of looters, thieves, robbers. They're now cutting people's pockets and making their own pockets heavier, destroying the economy and the potentials of this country."

Dhaka south and north city units of BNP arranged the rally in front of the Jatiya Press Club protesting the hike in prices of essential commodities and gas.

Earlier on Thursday, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal unveiled the Tk678,064 crore national budget for the financial year 2022-2023 with a special focus on economic recovery from uncertainties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.

In the proposed budget, the government offered the amnesty to undisclosed assets or cash of Bangladeshis stashed in foreign countries.

According to the proposed provision, money siphoned off abroad from Bangladesh can be legalised in exchange of 7-15% tax.

Terming the government an unelected one, Fakhrul said it has no authority to give the budget to people. "Their misrule for the last 14/15 years has proved that they are the enemy of the people of Bangladesh. They have even now become the mass enemy of people."

He said budget will not help lower the prices of essential items, house rents, transport fares and fertiliser. "As the price of gas rises, so will the price of fertiliser and all the commodities. But the purchasing capacity of people has not increased so much."

Stating that the public administration have been given the highest allocation in the budget, he said the government has done it for increasing the salary and various benefits of police, magistrate, DC, UNO and those who worked at Secretariat by cutting money from people's pockets.

"This regime has taken a position against people. They have no love for people. Had they had love for people they would have protected common people's interests," he observed.

He said 42% population of the county has gone down below the poverty line as a result of the development of the Awami League government. "Awami League has never done anything for those (poor) people in the current budget or in previous ones."

Fakhrul called upon the government to quit power and dissolve the parliament by handing it over to a neutral administration without buying any more time.  

He said democracy will be restored in the country through a credible election to be conducted by an impartial Election Commission under a non-party government.

Otherwise, he warned that BNP together with the country's people will oust the government through a strong movement.