National Citizen Party's (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam has described the proposed national budget as 'ambitious, unrealistic, and debt-ridden'. Speaking to journalists outside the national parliament on Thursday night, he compared the budget to 'junk food', stating, 'This budget is like junk food, it will taste good and look nice, but it has no nutritional value.'
Nahid Islam, the opposition chief whip in the national parliament, noted that while the finance minister spoke of 'economic democratization', there was no discussion of reforms in the banking and economic sectors. He criticized the lack of measures against defaulters, actions against looting groups, procedures for repatriating smuggled money, and strategies for increasing government revenue.
Expressing skepticism about the announced budget, Nahid Islam highlighted that it would increase both foreign and domestic debt and inflation. He argued that the budget would not bring about any fundamental economic change and emphasized the government's lack of commitment and achievement in political reform.
The opposition chief whip also pointed out the politicization and party influence in the banking sector, citing the Islami Bank as a significant example. He alleged that there is an ongoing process to hand over the Islami Bank to S Alam, which could lead to renewed instability and loss of depositor confidence in the banking sector.
