Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad has characterised the proposed national budget as anti-people, a “looting” budget, and a budget designed to nurture party workers.
Speaking as the chief guest at a rally held before a protest procession in the Baitul Mukarram area of the capital on Thursday evening, Azad said the Tk9.38 lakh crore budget is debt-dependent and carries a high deficit.
He argued that the revenue targets are unrealistic, making the budget impossible to implement, and warned that its execution would further escalate the suffering of the common man.
The rally was organised by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Dhaka City South to protest the proposed budget.
Azad further noted that the revenue collection goals are inconsistent with the country’s current economic reality. He asserted that achieving the targets set through the National Board of Revenue (NBR) would be extremely difficult, which will lead to a major crisis in budget implementation.
He alleged that the budget was drafted without considering the realities of daily life for ordinary citizens.
According to Azad, those responsible for the budget do not properly understand the hardships of the people, resulting in a failure to reflect the interests of the poor and low-income groups.
The Jamaat leader highlighted that people are already under pressure due to inflation and rising prices of essential commodities.
He warned that this budget would create additional market pressure, further increasing the cost of goods and disproportionately affecting low-income and working-class people.
Azad expressed that the public expected a pro-people and non-discriminatory budget that reflected the spirit and aspirations of the July movement following the mass uprising. However, he claimed the proposed budget failed to meet those expectations.
He further remarked that the budget is not “poor-friendly” and claimed its framers are isolated from the realities of the common man.
He pointed out that ministers boast in Parliament about their wealth, mentioning they have four cars and four drivers, which explains the lack of reflection on the needs of the poor. He reiterated that the ultimate cost of this budget’s inflationary pressure would be borne by the impoverished.
The rally was presided over by Helal Uddin, nayeb-e-ameer of Dhaka City South Jamaat. Following the meeting, Jamaat activists held a protest procession through various roads in the capital to voice their opposition to the proposed budget.
