TDS Desk:

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)’s Standing Committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury expressed concerns that the current interim government is in danger of continuing with the budget of the ousted Awami League. He argued that the conditions necessary to implement the budget, which he described as a “looting budget,” no longer exist in Bangladesh.

Amir Khasru commented, “The context for implementing such a budget is simply not present in the country. The Interim Government had the opportunity to present an Interim Budget Address properly, but by failing to do so, they now face the difficult task of trying to implement a budget that was essentially looted.”

He made these remarks in response to questions from reporters at BNP Chairperson’s political office in Gulshan on Saturday.

Amir Khasru further pointed out that the National Board of Revenue (NBR) appears to have no plan other than increasing duties or VAT to meet the budget deficit. “The government should have explored alternative solutions, rather than relying on this simple method,” he said.

He expressed concern over the growing hardship among the people, noting, “The citizens of the country are struggling to afford basic needs. Many are finding it difficult to eat two meals a day, and people’s purchasing power is steadily declining. If more taxes are imposed, the country risks seeing a significant increase in poverty.”

Amir Khasru emphasized that, given the current crisis, the interim government should have presented an interim budget. “As long as this interim government remains in power, it should have focused on addressing the current challenges, rather than continuing the budget of the previous regime, which was already tainted by corruption.”