Ruling party MP Mossammat Shammi Akhter has demanded the unmasking and trial of those involved in the torture of BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman during the 1/11 government, as parliament debated the proposed 2026-27 budget on Wednesday night.
In an emotional speech, Shammi Akhter said Tarique Rahman still bears the physical scars of that torture. “Even now an X-ray would show that a bone in his spine had healed in a bent position. Tarique Rahman himself has said he does not want revenge. He does not believe in the politics of vengeance. But not seeking revenge does not mean impunity,” she said.
“We want the true story of the torture inflicted on him during 1/11 to be presented before the nation. Those involved must be unmasked and justice must be ensured,” she said, warning that without justice, such incidents could recur.
Describing the budget as people-oriented, Shammi Akhter praised initiatives in renewable energy, environmental protection, and carbon-neutral industrialisation, including tax benefits for solar inverters, lithium batteries, and electric vehicle production.
On inflation control, she said ordinary people do not look at budget statistics but at market prices. “Initiatives to reduce production costs must be given the highest priority. Lower production costs will increase supply, and increased supply will reduce market pressure.”
Opposition MP Barrister Mohammad Nazibur Rahman countered that when adjusted for inflation, the budget is not the largest in history but the “largest deficit and debt-dependent budget.”
He noted that gold prices have increased about 1,400 times since 1972, while the budget has increased only 1,200 times. “Rather than calling it the largest budget, it would be more appropriate to call it the largest deficit and debt-dependent budget,” he said.
He also criticised the plan to borrow Tk1,12,000 crore from the banking sector, saying the fragile banking sector cannot bear this pressure. He added that only 24 lakh people pay direct taxes, while VAT burdens all classes equally.
Jamaat MP Md Izzat Ullah warned that if the government fails to meet public expectations, even BNP and Jamaat may have to pay a political price.
“The people of Bangladesh are not caged fish. Through the popular uprising, they have driven the Awami League out of the country. If we fail to provide good governance and try to run the country through extortion and tender rigging, we must consider what our fate will be,” he said.
