Looting planned in the proposed budget anew: Fakhrul

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has alleged that looting has been planned anew in the proposed budget of 2024-25 which was placed in Jatiya Sangsad in the capital on Thursday (June 6).

He made the allegation in an instant reaction to the proposed national budget at the BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan political office on Thursday.

The BNP leader said, “Bangladesh has turned into a country of looters. The government has transformed into a looter. What is the objective of the budget of looters? It’s just for looting. I can see it now. The government has made a plan of looting afresh.”

The so-called budget which has been proposed shows that revenue expenditures are higher than that of revenue earnings. The entire burden is going to fall on common people as the sectors where revenue earnings have been shown.

“The government will bring funding from foreign sources. Along with it, they will borrow from the banks. All the burdens will surely fall on common men. People can no more bear the burden. Inflation has taken a serious turn. The essential prices which have become so skyrocketing that ordinary people can’s shoulder the burden of it anymore. Prices of petrol, diesel and electricity were hikes just several days ago. The prices of these will go up after the budget. Prices will go by four times due to signing deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF),” he said.

“Why should we pay additional charges? Everyone knows about the rampant theft in power sector. Their pockets have become heavier through the purchase of power from quick rentals to Adani Group of India. Why is not the Rooppur plant progressing? Where the work of Paira Port, flyovers, and elevated expressway has gone?” he asked.

According to Mirza Fakhrul, the worst thing of the budget is that there is no directive in the budget to generate employment opportunities. “The entire budget has been prepared for mega projects, mega theft and mega corruption. So, it is not only an anti-people, but also anti-Bangladesh budget.”

Referring to scope of whitening the black money, Fakhrul said pressure falls on those who earn legal ways. Nothing happens to those who indulge in making black money. “How does a government official become owner of thousands of crores of taka in Bangladesh? How does a former army chief accumulate so much wealth? There are many such incidents. Workers could not go to Malaysia. It is lack of good governance and utter failure of the government. Four to five MPs of the ruling Awami League are involved here. Where would the people go? They have no place to stand.”