Leaders of various political parties have described the interim government's proposed budget as “conventional.”
On Monday, Financial Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed presented a proposed budget of Tk7,89,999 crore for the fiscal year 2025–26 through the state broadcaster. In response, leaders from several political parties shared their perspectives.
BNP’s reaction
BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, in his immediate reaction, said: “Our expectations are limited, as this is the responsibility of an interim government. We must recognize the difference between a budget prepared by an elected government—which has a long-term mandate—and one prepared by an interim authority.”
He further said: “The size of the budget does not reflect Bangladesh’s actual revenue-generating capacity. Previous governments have continued to increase the budget year after year, and now it has reached an unrealistic level.”
He also remarked that the budget lacks innovation. The BNP will present its official response to the proposed budget on Tuesday.
CPB’s reaction
In a joint statement, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) President Mohammad Shah Alam and General Secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince said: “This is the first budget of the interim government. As such, it has been prepared by a non-elected administration, which naturally limits its scope for making any fundamental structural reforms. However, there was still room to leave a meaningful impact—but the budget failed to offer any surprises.”
The statement added: “This year’s budget is not only conventional but also uninspired. Moreover, it is contractionary and recessionary in nature. The primary focus has been on controlling inflation and cutting expenditures in line with IMF directives through ‘belt-tightening’ measures.”
Gono Odhikar Parishad’s reaction
Rashed Khan, general secretary of Gono Odhikar Parishad, told the Dhaka Tribune: “This is a conventional budget. The interim government has continued the trend of large budgets established by the previous administration. We believe this budget is overly ambitious.”
He added: “The government has presented a deficit budget, which an interim administration should have avoided. A smaller, more restrained budget would have been more appropriate.”
However, he thanked the government for allocating funds for the July Movement freedom fighters.
NAP’s reaction
Bangladesh National Awami Party (NAP) Chairman Jebel Rahman Ghani and Secretary General M Golam Mostafa Bhuiyan said in a joint statement: “The budget proposed by the interim government, formed through the July uprising, has attempted to reflect public aspirations. Although the overall size has been reduced, there is little qualitative change. The reduction in allocations for luxury and loot-driven development projects may help ease public pressure to some extent.”
The statement further said: “As in previous years, this budget continues the legacy of past administrations. A smaller budget would have been easier to implement. Despite the reduced size, the underlying structure remains unchanged.”
NCP’s reaction
The National Citizen Party (NCP) is set to release its official reaction to the budget today.
Mushfiq Us Salehin, the party’s joint secretary, said: “We are currently engaged in internal policy-level discussions and analyses. Our official response will be shared at a press conference on Tuesday.”
