Govt, opposition united in safeguarding democracy, sovereignty: Chief whip

Chief Whip Md Nurul Islam on Thursday said the government and the opposition have demonstrated a rare spirit of cooperation during the ongoing FY27 budget session, expressing a shared commitment to build the country, safeguard its sovereignty, independence, and strengthen democracy.

Addressing a post-budget press conference at the LD Hall of the Jatiya Sangsad, the chief whip said the newly passed budget reflected broad parliamentary participation and marked a significant departure from past practices. Whip of Jatiya Sangsad Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu was present.

“This is the first budget of Tarique Rahman. For the first time in Bangladesh’s parliamentary history, the opposition participated in the budget process from beginning to end,” he said.

He noted that although the opposition was allocated around 26% of the debate time, the opportunity was extended, allowing opposition lawmakers to speak for nearly 31% of the total time in the House.

“The government listened to every opposition member. They spoke for 30 to 35 minutes when necessary. This demonstrates our commitment to democratic practice,” he said.

Highlighting an unprecedented development, Nurul said it was for the first time in the country’s parliamentary history that the opposition itself requested the speaker to proceed with the guillotine motion after concluding the budget discussions.

“The leader of the opposition requested the Speaker to proceed with the guillotine because they felt further discussion was unnecessary. This has never happened before in Bangladesh’s parliamentary history,” he said.

Emphasising the political message conveyed through the budget process, the chief whip said, “The government and the opposition unitedly want to build the country, safeguard its independence, protect its sovereignty and establish democracy. These are our three major national commitments.”

He said the budget had generated extensive debate both inside and outside parliament, but unlike previous years, there were no nationwide protests against it, while prices of essential commodities did not increase either before or after the budget announcement.

Nurul said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had describing the FY2026-27 budget as a “life-friendly (Jibon Bandhob)” budget and also had designed it to directly benefit ordinary people.

“The Prime Minister has described the FY27 budget as a life-friendly budget. It is a budget for protecting people’s livelihoods and improving their quality of life,” he said.

Nurul said taxes were either reduced or kept unchanged on 63 essential commodities and expected market prices of those products to decline accordingly.

Responding to questions over financing the budget despite tax reductions, he quoted the prime minister as saying that Bangladesh loses nearly USD$16 billion annually through illicit financial outflows.

“If this money is prevented from leaving the country, Bangladesh will not face a shortage of resources. Alongside this, we will reduce corruption and ensure decentralisation,” he quoted the prime minister as saying.

The chief whip said the government inherited a severely weakened economy, including fragile banks, rising dollar prices and widespread financial irregularities, but claimed the incumbent administration had restored stability during the past four months.

He outlined several major initiatives announced by the prime minister, including the Padma Barrage and Teesta Barrage projects, a programme to plant 25 crore trees, excavation of 20,000 kilometres of canals, introduction of farmers’ cards, expatriate cards, health cards, and distribution of family cards.

He said around five million low-income families would receive family cards in the names of women under which each eligible family would receive Tk2,500 in monthly support, while nearly four million farmers would also receive farmers’ cards.

“The objective is that no one should go hungry and every family should gradually become self-reliant,” he said.

Referring to social media, the chief whip alleged that much of the content circulating on digital platforms was misleading.

“Mainstream media has an important responsibility to present accurate information to the people,” he said.

Answering questions on constitutional issues, Nurul said the government remained committed to implementing the July Charter through constitutional amendments while simultaneously continuing broader discussions with all political parties.

He said constitutional amendment and institutional reform were complementary processes and expressed optimism that consensus would be reached in this regard.

On the recent measles outbreak, the chief whip said the government was treating the issue with utmost seriousness.

He said sufficient vaccines were now available across the country and the government was working to contain the disease while ensuring accountability for any negligence.

Replying to questions on relations with neighbouring countries, Nurul reiterated that Bangladesh sought peaceful and respectful relations with all neighbours while firmly protecting its own sovereignty.

“Our young generation is courageous, patriotic and deeply committed to the country’s independence. Bangladesh is a strong and independent nation,” he said.

He also informed journalists that parliamentary standing committees would be constituted within the constitutional timeframe and assured greater transparency in legislative business as the current parliament continued its work.