Budget aims to protect interests of govt's benefactors: BNP

Describing the proposed national budget for 2022-2024 fiscal year as an unrealistic one, BNP on Saturday alleged that it has been formulated only for protecting the interests of the government's benefactors.  
 
"This budget is by no means the budget of the common people. It's just a budget for money launderers and those who siphon off dollars," said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.  
 
He further said, "This year's budget is a completely unrealistic budget at this difficult time of the country. It has been made only for the government-backed people."  
 
Fakhrul made the remarks while presenting their party's formal reaction to the national budget at a press conference at the BNP chairperson's Gulshan office. 
 
Earlier on Thursday, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal presented the budget in Parliament.  
 
Slamming the government for offering amnesty to the money launderers, Fakhrul said the new budget has been formulated to give the looters a scope to legalise and bring back their illegal money home safely. 
 
"This budget has also been made to create an opportunity for the government's ministers, members of parliament and their relatives and the businessmen to siphon off money abroad," he observed.  
 
The BNP leader also said the budget has been formulated to allow the ruling party leaders and activists to increase their wealth and make money instead of taking any effective strategy to lower the prices of rice, pulses, salt, sugar, gas, electricity and water and other daily essentials and utility services.  
 
He described the proposed amnesty to money launderers as illegal. "It's not only immoral, but also contrary to the law. It's also tantamount to pardoning corruption and money laundering." 
 
Fakhrul said this step will make the future of the ongoing money laundering cases uncertain while the launderers will be encouraged to siphon off more money abroad. "This is an unjust, reckless and suicidal move."  
 
"We think this is also an unconstitutional move which conflicts with the government's so-called zero tolerance policy against corruption. We strongly condemn it, " he said. 
 
The BNP leader demanded the government to annul the scope for legalising the laundered money.  
 
At the same time, he demanded that immediate action be taken against the money launderers by identifying them and confiscating their assets.