Sangsad Bhaban, June 16 -- Treasury bench lawmakers on Tuesday strongly defended the proposed national budget for fiscal year 2026-27, describing it as people-oriented and welfare-focused, while dismissing opposition criticism as unfounded during a lively debate in Parliament.

Participating in the budget discussion, ruling party MPs praised the proposed budget and thanked Prime Minister Tarique Rahman for what they termed a pro-people fiscal plan aimed at ensuring inclusive development.

The debate saw sharp exchanges between treasury and opposition lawmakers over taxation, revenue targets and the overall direction of the budget.

Opposition MPs argued that the revenue collection target set in the proposed budget was overly ambitious and...