Jamaat MP says proposed budget favours businesses over people

Opposition lawmaker Shahjahan Chowdhury on Saturday criticised the proposed national budget for 2026-27, describing it as "business-friendly" and arguing that it failed to reflect the interests of the country‍‍`s 180 million people.

Taking part in the budget discussion in Parliament, the Jamaat-e-Islami MP said the Finance Minister had prepared a budget favouring the business community rather than people from all sections of society.

Addressing the finance minister, Shahjahan said his background in business had influenced the budget, adding that Bangladesh belongs not only to entrepreneurs but also to farmers, workers, labourers and ordinary citizens.

The Chattogram-15 lawmaker said he had expected a more people-oriented budget from someone who had previously led the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Chittagong Stock Exchange.

He also questioned whether officials involved in preparing budgets under the previous Awami League government had played a role in drafting the current one, asking whether the proposed budget reflected the spirit of last year‍‍`s July movement.

Calling agriculture the backbone of the economy, Shahjahan urged the government to increase budget allocations for the sector, saying the country‍‍`s future depends on its farmers.

He also proposed greater investment in offshore gas exploration in the Bay of Bengal to help meet growing domestic energy demand.

The opposition MP criticised the government for what he described as a lack of progress in tackling corruption, alleging that it had neither restructured the Anti-Corruption Commission nor allocated sufficient resources for anti-corruption efforts.

He also alleged that irregularities in the power sector continued under the capacity charge system and claimed uninterrupted electricity supply had yet to be ensured.

Shahjahan further called for higher allocations for the Ministry of Expatriates‍‍` Welfare and Overseas Employment and urged the government to modernise Chattogram Port to improve efficiency and accommodate larger vessels.

During his speech, he also criticised Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed over recent remarks concerning Jamaat-e-Islami, saying there was no need for anyone to issue what he described as a "religious verdict" on the party.