This year's budget largely benefits Awami League patrons: Khasru

BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury has said the budget for the Fiscal Year 2023-24 was designed to benefit the patrons of the Awami League.

"This budget does not reflect people's thoughts and opinions, nor is it time-befitting," he said to reporters in a reaction to the national budget for FY24 in the capital's Banani this afternoon.

The BNP leader further said the budget shows there is a major focus on infrastructure, whereas there isn't much work being done there.

He said the Awami League has burdened the country with foreign loans, adding that the main purpose of taking those was to create a model for "looting".

"As a consequence, the burden of loans will intensify. The government has created a 'loot economy' model in the country, for which the next generation will have to bear responsibility," Khasru added.

The BNP leader said the people of Bangladesh are not getting any services from this government except the burdens of rent, extortion, and commission.

The country's underprivileged and poor keep getting poorer, whereas a number of AL-affiliated people were only getting wealthier, he said.

"They are not getting tired of doing this. They are laundering looted money abroad," he added.

"Compared to the BNP government period, poverty has not declined during the reign of the current government. Around 52% of the new poor are in Dhaka. Their [ Awami League] people are benefiting from this economic cycle.

"The new model created by them is not benefiting the common people.  Rather, low-income people are losing their savings, and getting poorer day by day due to hikes in commodity prices," he said.

Khasru further said a political solution and accountability was needed to solve the economic crisis.

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal placed the national budget of over Tk7.61 lakh crore for the next fiscal year (FY24) at the Jatiya Sangsad with a major focus on containing inflation, generating jobs, efforts towards building a 'Smart Bangladesh' and addressing the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR).

The possible budget size of Tk7,61,785 crore mainly aims at taming inflation alongside the higher GDP growth trajectory.