STAFF CORRESPONDENT

National Citizen Party MP Atiqur Rahman Mujahid has accused the government of discrimination in allocating public funds across districts.

“There was a time when critics used to say ‘Gopalganj first’. Should we say ‘Bogura first’ now? This is not the Bangladesh we want. If it is truly ‘Bangladesh first’, then every corner of the country must receive equal budgetary treatment,” he said during the discussion on the proposed 2026-27 budget.

“Bangladesh first” is also a BNP slogan.

Mujahid alleged that Shibganj upazila in Bogura had been dubbed a “nobabi upazila” because of extraordinary allocations.

“While other areas receive nothing, one upazila alone gets Tk 76 crore -- what kind of miraculous charisma is this?” he said.

On the current budget, Mujahid also said of the Tk 42,000 crore proposed for defence, Tk 35,000 crore was earmarked for operating expenses, leaving only Tk 7,000 crore for actual defence capability.

“How can our defence be ensured with that?” he asked.