Calling democratic govt’s budget ‘partisan’ is a despicable remark: Home minister

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has hit back at criticism of the proposed national budget, saying that describing a budget proposed by a democratically elected government as a “partisan budget” is a despicable remark.

“This budget is certainly the budget of the BNP and its electoral alliance partners. If someone calls that partisan – holding a democratically established government accountable for a partisan budget – that is a despicable comment,” he said today (12 June) while inspecting the venue for a public rally to be held ahead of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to Cox’s Bazar.

Salahuddin said the government’s greatest achievement was preparing a budget in just three months while standing on a financial and banking system that had been nearly destroyed over the previous 17 years. 

He said the budget’s approach – simultaneously reducing tax burdens while expanding the revenue base – would increase revenue collection over time, which would in turn strengthen the contribution of domestic revenue to the development budget.

He added that the government has adopted a policy of reducing dependence on loans and foreign aid to achieve self-reliance. 

“If our development budget is always dependent on banks and foreign assistance, we will remain dependent forever,” he said.