BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has said that the government has proposed a budget of Tk7,90,000 crore, which he claimed bears no difference from that of Sheikh Hasina's.“Sheikh Hasina allowed the whitening of black money, and so have you,” he said.He made the remarks as the chief guest on Tuesday afternoon, in front of the BNP central office in Paltan, during a distribution of Eid essentials among the underprivileged, organized by the nationalist Weavers’ Association to mark the 44th martyrdom anniversary of BNP founder and former president Ziaur Rahman. Rizvi said: “We want to see Bangladesh do well. We want to see a fair and acceptable election in the country. When asked when the election will be held and how long it will be delayed, the advisers remain silent. At one point, reform was presented as the opposition to the election. Reform was pushed forward. Now, they won’t even say that.”
“In the Tk7,90,000 crore budget, 23% is allocated solely for administrative salaries. Another 14% will go into paying interest on loans. So what is left for the poor? The sweetness of the profit is already devoured by ants. What is being done for the people?”
Rizvi added: “The allocations for health and education are low. But what we need most are funds for these sectors. Public health is the government's responsibility. Dr Yunus made many promises before coming to power. Now that he is in power, he must care for the poor. He once said poverty would be sent to the museum. But what we are seeing now is looters, bank robbers, and those with black money being given the opportunity to legalize it under his administration."
"If education and health sectors continue to receive inadequate allocations, then the long struggle for people’s welfare—including the sacrifices made by students and citizens last July and August that forced Sheikh Hasina to flee—will be in vain. Every pro-democracy political party in the country supported Dr Yunus, believing he would govern well."
"But this budget, placed under his leadership, only makes the poor poorer. We don’t see any effort to reduce inflation. The pressure on the middle and lower-middle classes will only increase,” he added.
Referring to various memories of BNP founder and former president Ziaur Rahman, Rizvi said: “It’s not enough to just call Ziaur Rahman a leader—he was a statesman who defined an era. The people gave him the title ‘Rakkhal Raja’ (Shepherd King). He walked mile after mile to understand the struggles of the people. He implemented many progressive programs. Ziaur Rahman changed the fate of the nation.”
He added: “Ziaur Rahman came to power at a time when the country was in both political and economic crisis. During the 1974 famine, people couldn’t even get a handful of rice. After such a catastrophic situation, he assumed power. He took steps to increase food and fish production by initiating canal digging projects across the country. He introduced various initiatives for agricultural development and took measures to provide agricultural loans from banks at low interest. Through these efforts, he laid a solid foundation for the nation.”
Rizvi further said: “Ziaur Rahman established himself as a role model of leadership. That’s why international powers that dislike Bangladesh’s independence and sovereignty conspired to assassinate him. Why? Because he tried to make the country self-reliant, to build it up with dignity, and to restore democracy.”
He added: “We’ve seen the state of democracy during Sheikh Hasina’s time—and it was no better during her father’s time either. They made laws and black laws, but freedom of expression was absent. Those who expressed dissent were thrown in jail. The exception was during BNP’s tenure—when anyone could freely express their opinion. BNP is the party that ensures democracy.”
“In the Tk7,90,000 crore budget, 23% is allocated solely for administrative salaries. Another 14% will go into paying interest on loans. So what is left for the poor? The sweetness of the profit is already devoured by ants. What is being done for the people?”
Rizvi added: “The allocations for health and education are low. But what we need most are funds for these sectors. Public health is the government's responsibility. Dr Yunus made many promises before coming to power. Now that he is in power, he must care for the poor. He once said poverty would be sent to the museum. But what we are seeing now is looters, bank robbers, and those with black money being given the opportunity to legalize it under his administration."
"If education and health sectors continue to receive inadequate allocations, then the long struggle for people’s welfare—including the sacrifices made by students and citizens last July and August that forced Sheikh Hasina to flee—will be in vain. Every pro-democracy political party in the country supported Dr Yunus, believing he would govern well."
"But this budget, placed under his leadership, only makes the poor poorer. We don’t see any effort to reduce inflation. The pressure on the middle and lower-middle classes will only increase,” he added.
Referring to various memories of BNP founder and former president Ziaur Rahman, Rizvi said: “It’s not enough to just call Ziaur Rahman a leader—he was a statesman who defined an era. The people gave him the title ‘Rakkhal Raja’ (Shepherd King). He walked mile after mile to understand the struggles of the people. He implemented many progressive programs. Ziaur Rahman changed the fate of the nation.”
He added: “Ziaur Rahman came to power at a time when the country was in both political and economic crisis. During the 1974 famine, people couldn’t even get a handful of rice. After such a catastrophic situation, he assumed power. He took steps to increase food and fish production by initiating canal digging projects across the country. He introduced various initiatives for agricultural development and took measures to provide agricultural loans from banks at low interest. Through these efforts, he laid a solid foundation for the nation.”
Rizvi further said: “Ziaur Rahman established himself as a role model of leadership. That’s why international powers that dislike Bangladesh’s independence and sovereignty conspired to assassinate him. Why? Because he tried to make the country self-reliant, to build it up with dignity, and to restore democracy.”
He added: “We’ve seen the state of democracy during Sheikh Hasina’s time—and it was no better during her father’s time either. They made laws and black laws, but freedom of expression was absent. Those who expressed dissent were thrown in jail. The exception was during BNP’s tenure—when anyone could freely express their opinion. BNP is the party that ensures democracy.”