Gonoforum today rejected the proposed national budget for 2019-20 fiscal terming it as frustrating and anti-people.

The government has termed the budget as a smart one, but it is nothing but blatant chic, Gonoforum came up with the post-budget reaction in a press conference at the National Press Club in Dhaka.  

There is no clear indication in the budget to root out poverty, inequity and unemployment problem from the country, it said.

The budget will favour the benefit of the powerful business community and vested political quarter ignoring the overall interest of the common people, the party said.

Speaking at the press conference, Gonoforum President Kamal Hossain rejected the proposed budget saying that it has ignored the interest of the common people in many ways.   

Gonoforum and Jatiya Oikyafront will discuss in their party forums meeting whether they will go for any programme protesting the national budget, Kamal also an eminent jurist, told a questioner.

Gonoforum General Secretary Reza Kibria, said the negative impact will be created in the economy due to the budget as the country's financial setback has not been addressed in it appropriately.

The government has become hard over the interest of the farmers while it has ensured the satisfaction of loan defaulters, he said in the party's formal reaction.

Claiming that allocation in the health and education sector is inadequate, Reza Kibria called upon the government to reduce budgetary allocation in the unproductive sectors.

He said the proposed budget is the outcome of shortsightedness where there is no initiatives to overcome the financial setback.

"A group of people is making money and plundering it abroad and the budget will favour their benefits," the Gonoforum leader said.

Describing the government as unelected, he said the citizen's wills and expectation are not reflected in the budget and it has not been done to meet people's needs.

No accountability in proposed budget: Ganosamhati Andolon

Ganosamhati Andolon today termed the proposed budget for the next fiscal year 2019-20 as "beyond accountability".

"There is no accountability in the proposed budget as the government has once again kept the scope for whitening black money," Ganosamhati Andolon said in its post-budget reaction.

The government has not taken any initiative to recover the loan from defaulters and bring them (defaulters) to book in the budget, the party said.

Abul Hasan Rubel, executive coordinator (acting) of the party, read out the keynote paper at a post-budget press conference at the party office in Dhaka.

He the government is accelerating tax pressure on general people while the people (loan defaulters) were given a huge exemption.

Ganosamhati Andolon also slammed the government saying that good governance in the banking sector is absent.

On Thursday, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal presented Tk 523,190 crore budget for the fiscal year of 2019-20. The new budget is 18.1 per cent of GDP.

Total allocation for operating and other expenditures is Tk 320,469 crore, and allocation for the annual development programme is Tk 202,721 crore.