Defending his remark that the national budget for FY 2016-2017 is ‘reactionary’ one, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Saturday said Finance Minister AMA Muhith is unable to understand the word ‘reactionary’ as ‘he has never been a minister of any democratic government’.
“Reactionary means anti-people. This budget is not in favour of common and the poor and working people. It’s a pro-plunderers budget,” he said. Dhaka, UNB News Agency Reported.
A day after the Muhith criticised him for his reaction to the budget, Rizvi came up with the explanation of his comment reactionary at a press briefing at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office.
Muhith at his post-budget press conference on Friday came down hard on BNP for describing the budget as ‘reactionary’, saying those who hold the ideology of right politics from their moderate position are reactionary and their number is very few in the country. “And most of them are fundamentalists. It’s the stance of BNP.”
He also said there is no existence BNP now in politics. “At present, BNP is not a party at all, let alone the opposition.”
Rizvi said the budget which raised taxes on bread and flour, and agricultural equipment cannot be a pro-people budget. “It also cut the interest rate for saving certificates which usually middle-class people buy with their retirement benefits. “So, isn’t it an anti-people budget?”
He said the new budget proposed increasing taxes by 32 percent for those who earn Tk 10 lakh annually while it only 13 percent for those who earn more than 47.5 lakh. “Is it a pro-people budget? The Finance Minister has taken a position in favour of looters.”
Mentioning that Muhith has said the scope for whitening black money will remain in place as along as the current government is in office, Rizvi said what can be more reactionary comment than it.
“He (Muhith) can’t understand the political term reactionary as he was a minister of people’s killer Ershad, and now a minister of a government which has not voters’ mandate. He has never been a mister of a democratic government. So, his mindset is reactionary,” the BNP leader added.
Muhith on Thursday placed a Tk 340,605 crore national budget in parliament for the next fiscal year (FY17).
In his party’s instant reaction to the budget, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi turned down the budget saying it is an extremely ‘reactionary and anti-people’ budget.
