BNP to evaluate budget outside the House

Dhaka, June 7 (bdnews24.com) ? Main opposition BNP will not join the House on Thursday but it has formed a panel, which will see the Finance Minister's budget proposal for the next fiscal year on television and 'evaluate'.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's Press Secretary Maruf Kamal Khan told bdnews24.com that a high-level panel has been formed to examine the proposed budget.

Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith is scheduled to place a Tk 1.9 trillion national budget for the fiscal 2012-13 in Parliament on Thursday afternoon.

Insiders say the next budget prioritises power, roads, physical infrastructure, local government, power, primary education, health and family welfare, rural development, human resource development and a better social safety net system.

The BNP panel will discuss the budget proposal from the party chief's Gulshan office from the beginning of Parliament session, Khan said.

He said, "The panel will give its reaction on the budget directly to the people after hearing the budget speech of the Finance Minister at the party chief's office."

M K Anwar, Abdul Moeen Khan, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Osman Faruk, Abdul Awal Mintu, party Deputy Treasurer S M Fazlul Haque are on the panel.

At a press conference at Sonargaon Hotel on Tuesday, Khaleda shared the party's thoughts on the next national budget in presence of diplomats, leaders of various political parties, eminent citizens and civil society personalities.

She said the budget would be a loan-dependent one which will create unrest in the economy.

"Media reports say that the forthcoming budget will have a deficit of Tk 0.5 trillion (Tk 500 billion) out of a total outlay of Tk 1.9 trillion. It means the government will have to arrange more than 25 percent of the fund from borrowing, mainly from the domestic sector and largely from the banks."

"As a result, economic imbalance, anarchy and unrest are inevitable in the country," she added.

Khaleda also claimed that the last budget of the ruling Awami League-led Grand Alliance is being prepared to benefit the party.

"The budget allocations are being made keeping in mind the upcoming national election."

The main opposition had boycotted the last three budget sessions in parliament in this term of the Awami League-led 14-Party Grand Alliance government.

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Source: bdnews24.com

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