BNP has been champion in poverty alleviation: Rizvi

BNP acting secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has said that BNP has always been a champion in poverty alleviation.

He made the remarks at a discussion meeting organised by the M Saifur Rahman Memorial Council at the National Press Club in the capital on Monday morning, September 7, marking the 17th death anniversary of former finance minister M Saifur Rahman.

The acting secretary general said, "As finance minister, Saifur Rahman was such an economic manager who stopped money laundering. He was congratulated across the world. He had super capacity as finance minister. His agricultural economic programmes removed the crisis of the Kartik month in the country."

He said, "In the past 17 years, we have seen a syndicate of looting banks and taking away money. When Saifur Rahman was finance minister, I never heard of looting or laundering money. I never even heard of borrowing money from banks to meet the government's budget deficit."

"However, in the next 17 years, it was a budget of looting. The entire country was made economically empty—in local terms, 'fokla'," he added.

Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said, "The BNP era has always been one of rural infrastructure development. BNP has always been a champion in poverty alleviation."

He further said, "When Saifur Rahman was finance minister, the stock market was not looted. This is his huge contribution. Saifur Rahman had a huge contribution in taking the country's economy to a strong position."

The acting secretary general also said, "No one could have thought that a country could move towards prosperity based on agricultural economy. As finance minister, Saifur Rahman could do it. The foundation of today's economy is Saifur Rahman's singular contribution. Saifur Rahman was the first to introduce the concept of social protection in this country."

He said everyone hopes that the country will once again become self-sufficient in food.