How an illegal govt can spend public money, wonders BNP

Fakhrul

Describing the Awami League government as an unrepresentative one, BNP on Friday questioned the legality of spending public money allocated in the new budget for fiscal 2014-15 by an illegal administration.   “There’ll remain a question how much it’ll be ethical to use the public money (allocated in the budget) by those who have no moral position,” said BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.   He came up with the remarks when reporters sought his comment on the proposed budget after a discussion meeting at the Jatiya Press Club.   Zia Sangskritik Sangathan organised the programme titled ‘Bangladeshi Nationalist Culture and Shaheed Zia’.   On Thursday, Finance Minister AMA Muhith placed a Tk 2,50,506 crore budget in parliament for fiscal year 2014-15.   Fakhrul said their party has nothing to give reaction to the budget as they think the present ‘illegal’ government has no moral right to place a national budget in parliament.   “We think this is an unethical and illegal regime. They don’t represent people and the current parliament also doesn’t represent people. We also consider the January-5 election illegal one. So, we don’t have anything to say about the budget of an illegal regime,” he added.   The BNP spokesman said the government has placed the budget with an aim to prolong its power.   He, however, warned that no government could cling to power against people’s will. “This regime also won’t be able to do so.”   Asked whether they are rejecting the budget, Fakhrul said, “There’s no question of accepting or rejecting the budget since it has been placed by a regime which has no right to do so.”   As his attention was drawn to Awami League joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif’s comment about dissolving BNP, he said the ruling party leader has exposed his party’s true undemocratic colour wit his remark.   “It’s a fascist fashion to talk about dissolving a well-established political party in a democratic country. His (Hanif’s) remark has once again proved that Awami League doesn’t believe in democracy,” Fakhrul added.