Fakhrul slams PM's comment on whitening black money

FE REPORT

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said on Saturday that the government had given the scope to whiten black money in the proposed budget for the fiscal year (FY) 2024-2025 is like 'catching fish putting food on the hook'.

He said that the Prime Minister's speech on the issue to whiten black money is a tactics to create a 'smokescreen'.

"It (catching fish on putting food on the hook) is a matter of laughing. We have observed that the people you (government) have caught are your own people. They (government) themselves are involved with the corruption," he said at a discussion marking the first death anniversary of politician, political analyst also called as Dada Serajul Alam Khan organised by Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) at the National Press Club.

Earlier Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at a discussion on Friday (June 7, 2024) at Dhaka district Awami League office at Tejgaon in the capital said, "I say that to catch fish, you have to put food on the hook. Without food fish will not come (catching). (Opportunity of whitening black money) is that type of system. It was applied earlier. The then caretaker government has introduced it and all the successive governments have been following."

"In the budget the scope is given to facilitate big fishes. Every year same thing happens. Economic analysts say that it (proposed budget) only brings loss and nothing else," he said.

He said that the ordinary people of the country could not bear the burden of price inflation.

He said that BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and acting chairman Tarique Rahman also showed their respects to late imminent politician scholar Sirajul Alam Khan.

Quoting Mahmudur Rahman Manna, he said that the ruling Awami League did not convey condolence message on the death of Serajul Alam Khan.

"We want to get rid of this present situation of Bangladesh. Bangladesh stuck in a critical condition. The existence of Bangladesh is now at stake. The ruling party strongly holding on power and they have destroyed all institutions," he said.