Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Namal Rajapaksa says many of the proposals put forward by the President in the Budget 2024 are those that had been presented in the previous budget.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe presented the Appropriation Bill for the fiscal year 2024 in Parliament today.
Speaking to reporters in Parliament following the Budget speech, the former minister said it is obvious that the previous proposals were not implemented and hence, the government has presented it again.
Stating that the proposals have been made twice, MP Rajapaksa said doubts are raised if they have been practically accomplished at the grassroots level or not.
“We are waiting to see if this year’s budget is also a budget announcement that is limited to just a speech. After studying the proposals, we will present our views during the parliamentary debate. Let’s see if the President accepts them,” he said.
Pointing out that the President is serving as the Finance Minister of the SLPP-led government, MP Namal Rajapaksa said the party’s policies should be in the budget proposals, adding “Fairy tales are of no use if they don’t work in practice.
