Dhaka, June 8 – The BNP has termed the proposed national budget a big blue empty balloon which has been formulated keeping the next general election in mind.“It is a big beautiful blue balloon which is totally empty. The budget will not help ensure people’s welfare as it was made only considering the next general election,” said BNP standing committee member Barrister Moudud Ahmed while speaking at a discussion meeting at the Jatiya Press Club yesterday.
Describing the government as unelected, corrupt and incompetent, the BNP leader observed that it would not be able to implement such a big budget.
The budget will widen the inequality and make the poor poorer…There is no directive in the budget to change the fate of 3 crore unemployed people and the ultra poor, he said.
Meanwhile, speaking at a press conference, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi termed the proposed budget anti-people alleging that the government has given what it said the budget of deception to fill the pockets of party leaders and activists ahead of the next general elections.
“The people have become frustrated at the proposed budget as there is nothing to fulfill their aspirations…The BNP has totally rejected the budget,” said BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi at a press conference at party central office on Friday.
The BNP leaders’ reaction came a day after Minister for Finance AMA Muhith placed the national budget for 2018-19 at Jatiya Sangsad.
Rizvi feared that the middle class will be put in trouble while the prices of all essential will go up if this budget is passed.
He alleged that the government placed a huge deficit and loan dependent budget of Tk 4.65 lakh crore at what he said voter less Jatiya Sangsad.
The BNP leader said a 7.8 percent GDP growth has been estimated in the proposed budget where the experts including the World Bank forecast that the growth would remain below 7 percent. It will be impossible to achieve a 7.8 percent GDP in the prevailing situation, he added.
He accused the government of placing a gigantic budget for last time plundering ahead of the next polls.
“There will be a huge deficit in income and expenditure of the budget because the import costs increased and export costs declined,” he said.
Rizvi alleged that the incumbent government was frequently speaking about digital Bangladesh but imposing tax on using the internet, youtube, facebook and google had been proposed in the budget.
He said the government was deceiving people by increasing the size of the budget while all paths were kept open for committing corruption in the proposed budget.
BNP vice-chairman Dr AZM Zahid Hossain, joint secretary general Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, Abdus Salam Azad, Shahin Shawkat, among others, were present at the press conference. – Staff Reporter
