Prime Minister Tarique Rahman spoke at the closing sitting of the budget session of the Jatiya Sangsad in Dhaka. Photo : PMO

SANGSAD BHABAN, July 15, 2026 (BSS) - Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today called for national unity to ensure that fascism or autocracy never return to Bangladesh again and the country never be turned into a subservient state.

"We, the ruling and opposition parties in the House, want to firmly believe that there is a national unity among us. I hope this unity will remain intact at any cost, InSha'Allah," he said.

The Leader of the House said this in his closing remarks at the budget session of the Jatiya Sangsad this afternoon with Deputy Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal in the chair.

The Prime Minister said, "As per the tradition of the Parliament, and as is practiced throughout the world, there will certainly be differences of opinion among us. But there must never be hostility."

"Instead of vengeance and retaliation, there should be justice and fairness. The Leader of the Opposition has emphasized this point, and I also wish to place equal emphasis on it," he added.

About corruption, the premier said, "We have seen how, during the authoritarian regime, USD 16 billion was siphoned out of the country every year. One of the major causes behind the problems, mentioned by the Leader of the Opposition regarding roads or any other issues, is that corruption." 

The present government is determined to control this corruption by any means necessary, whether by tying its hands or choking it by the throat, added the premier. 

Referring to the government's priorities for combating corruption and maintaining law and order, he said, "The present government wants to develop the law enforcement agencies into fully professional forces." 

He said, "Among the key aspirations, one of the foremost expectations of common working citizens is a safe environment. Whether a farmer, a labourer, a teacher, a small businessman, or anyone else, every person wants to return home safely at the end of the day after finishing work.

"If they wish to go somewhere with their family, they want to travel safely and return safely to their homes. To ensure this, we want to build the law enforcement agencies into professional forces and thus, the government has also taken a plan to recruit 10,000 new police constables," added the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister highlighted the BNP's election pledges, including the Family Card, Farmer Card, tree plantation programme, waiver of farmers' loans, employment generation for the unemployed, transforming manpower into human resources, and various government programmes in the agriculture, health and education sectors.
 
Tarique Rahman said, "I have said it before and I say it again: as a citizen, as a politician, as a political worker and as an elected representative of the people, I believe that if the state fails to fulfill its responsibilities towards its citizens, both the people and the state will become weak." 
 
"I believe these benefits are not acts of charity by the state toward its citizens. Rather, the initiatives we are undertaking are the state's responsibility to the people, he added.

The Prime Minister said, "If we want to prevent authoritarianism and subservience in the future, then both the state and the people must be strengthened politically and economically. We must restore our values."
 
In this regard, the Leader of the House called upon all Members of Parliament to discharge their responsibilities in their respective constituencies with sincerity. 

Expressing his determination to build an investment-driven economy, the Prime Minister said, "We want to build an investment-driven economy, not a debt-dependent one. One of the core plans of our government is to transform the economy from being debt-dependent to investment-driven. We will create employment. And the investment-driven economy will become our main driving force of growth."

"That is why the present government has designed all its plans in such a way that by 2034 we will be close to becoming a one-trillion-dollar economy," he said.

Stating that the previous government had deliberately destroyed the education and health sectors to benefit a particular foreign country, Tarique Rahman said the present government would gradually allocate five percent of GDP to the development of these two sectors.

"The entire world is going through a wartime situation, and the expectations of the people from this parliament and this government are enormous. Even under such circumstances, we have begun to turn around and are gradually regaining our economic footing," he added. 

The premier said, "We will implement our plans with the people by our side, In Sha Allah. The people of Bangladesh are hardworking. Our youth are energetic. Our farmers are hardworking and productive. Our entrepreneurs are full of potential." 

"I believe that if the government can remove all obstacles to business and trade, if we can control corruption, create opportunities based on justice, and bring state institutions under accountability, then we will certainly be able to build the Bangladesh envisioned by the martyrs," he continued.

Referring to his visits to different districts, the Prime Minister said, "I have travelled across the country, spoken to the people and visited different places. After visiting those places the enthusiasm, the spirit, the zeal and the determination I have seen among the people, as a citizen, I am confident."

Noting that religious, social, cultural and family values have deteriorated, he stressed on restoring these values at any cost.

The Leader of the House requested the Deputy Speaker to provide an amount equivalent to one month's salary to all officers and employees of the Parliament Secretariat, the Prime Minister's Office, law enforcement agencies and government organisations who were involved with the budget session.