Budget undoubtedly smart for plundering: BNP

The BNP on Thursday described the national budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year as a smart one for plundering public money.

“It’s surely a smart budget. No government can siphon off lakhs of crores of taka abroad more smartly than the current one. No one can loot banks and public money more smartly than the current one taking advantage of the budget,” BNP’s Standing Committee Member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury.

The BNP leader also said the new budget will also help the government to smartly run its different syndicates to loot public money. “So, it’s undoubtedly a very smart budget from that perspective.”

He, however, said the country’s people are also eagerly waiting to give a reply to the government’s smart budget by holding the next polls under a neutral government.

Khosru, also a former commerce minister, made the remarks while giving the party’s initial reaction to the proposed national budget at his Banani residence.

“The government has created an economic model for looting public money with a principle of patron-client relationship. The budget was formulated based on this economic model. It means those who belong to the ruling party or are patronised by the government will be benefited from this budget, not the common people,” he observed.

The BNP leader said that the government’s economic strategy is based on rent-seeking, commission and extortion-seeking policies. “They (AL leaders) will take rent, extortion and commission for any work. This is the basis of the economy and the budget and people will bear its main brunt. All the institutions have become extractive for plundering. “The patron-client relationship system, rent-seeking policy and extractive institutions are driving the entire economy of the country.”