Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday came down hard on Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) for questioning the provisional estimate of gross domestic product (GDP) growth by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

“Rubbish, totally rubbish,” Muhith reacted sharply, when reporters drew his attention to CPD's challenging the authenticity of the BBS projection.

The minister was talking with the reporters after a meeting with outgoing US Ambassador James F Moriarty at his ministry.

“If CPD has said so... it's very bad, extremely unjust and very much politically motivated... I'm very sorry,” he said.

The think-tank at a press briefing on Saturday commented that the growth could be 6.2-6.3 percent, not 6.7 percent as estimated by BBS for the outgoing fiscal year.

The CPD also said the BBS estimate could misguide the policy makers, affect the government credibility and make people dub it as a political score.

The government should set up an independent expert group to scrutinise the provisional estimate, it added.

The minister said the finance ministry last year disagreed with the BBS over the growth projection, but finally accepted its estimate.

In this fiscal year, Muhith said, the ministry accepted the BBS estimate as there was no difference of opinion.

On the CPD estimated growth, the minister said the World Bank and International Monitory Fund have made different GDP growth projections; CPD may make another.

“They [CPD] made their assumption about the GDP growth, but the government received data from BBS and accepted. There is no scope to do anything else," Muhith said. “I don't see anything to quarrel over."

TALKS WITH MORIARTY Also yesterday, in the context of his talks with the US ambassador over Grameen Bank's present situation, Muhith said the GB board of directors will select their next managing director.

The minister said he had told Moriarty that the microfinance bank is the national pride and will remain so.

He agreed when the US ambassador said containing inflation and maintaining payment balance are the major challenges in the upcoming national budget, Muhith told the reporters.

Talking to the journalists, the US ambassador said companies of his country are eager to invest in the energy sector of Bangladesh.