Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has again highly praised the lawmakers of HM Ershad-led Jatiya Party for their role as opposition in parliament.
“Now the opposition is criticising the government constructively which will be helpful for the people,” the premier told the parliament during the budget discussion yesterday.
Mentioning about Leader of the Opposition Rawshan Ershad’s statement in the parliament, Hasina said the JaPa leader had criticised the government “constructively” due to public interest.
Praising Rawshan, a senior presidium member of JaPa, for joining the 10th parliamentary election, Hasina said: “We thank you for taking a wise decision in time.”
The leader of the house, on the other hand, slammed the role of BNP-led opposition in the ninth parliament. “The role of previous opposition was very disgraceful.”
“Their behaviour – offensive speech, display of muscle power, throwing files, papers and chairs and breaking microphones – was shameful for our democracy...that situation does not exist now.”
Hasina said: “The present situation has been made to create scope for exercising democracy for the countrymen, especially our young and next generation.”
She alleged that the BNP-Jamaat alliance had tried to impede the advancement of democracy by killing people in the name of stopping the January 5 election.
Terming the proposed budget for 2014-15 fiscal year timely, the prime minister claimed that the present government would be able to implement it like the previous tenure.
“Our socio-economic situation will be improved if the budget can be implemented. People will enjoy better life,” she said.
Responding to criticisms that the budget had a major deficit, Hasina said 5% deficit was not a matter of concern. “Many countries, even the developed ones, have proposed budgets with deficit,” she said.
Claiming that the proposed budget was “pro-people,” the premier said most of the stockholders including the BNP-Jamaat did not have any points to criticise the budget.
Hinting at the TV talk-show participants, she said there was a certain quarter who always tried to find “but” in everything. “...I do not know what pleasure they get from criticising at midnight without sleep.”
The premier claimed that Bangladesh would become a middle-income country before 2021. “Political stability is essential for economic development,” she said.
The Awami League president also said the government would bring back the money deposited in Swiss Banks. “We will draw up a list of Bangladeshi people who have money in the Swiss Banks. We will try to bring back the money as much possible and utilise it for the development of the country,” she said.
The premier in her speech said her government would increase the salary for government officials after getting report of the Pay Commission in December.
Hasina proposed imposing surcharge for mobile phone calls and suggested spending the money for education, health and infrastructure development. She also asked the finance minister to reduce the proposed tax in some sectors.