Arafat Slams Debapriya’s White Paper as ‘Baseless Propaganda’

Staff Correspondent

Mohammad Ali Arafat, an executive member of the Bangladesh Awami League, has criticized a recently published 399-page economic report by economist Debapriya Bhattacharya and his team, labeling it politically motivated and propaganda-driven.

Arafat alleged the report, commonly referred to as a white paper, aims to undermine the achievements of the Sheikh Hasina administration. He accused the authors of having a hidden agenda to discredit the government’s policies over the years.

The white paper claims that $16 billion is illicitly siphoned out of Bangladesh annually during the Awami League’s tenure. Arafat dismissed the claim as baseless, stating the report lacks credible evidence to support the figure. He argued the authors failed to cite information from institutions such as Bangladesh Bank or foreign banks.

He said the claim implies that over 15 years, $234 billion was laundered, a figure he described as implausible. “This is simply ridiculous,” Arafat said.

Arafat criticized the report for relying on self-cited works rather than peer-reviewed research and said it disregards the assessments of global economists such as Jeffrey Sachs and Kaushik Basu, who have praised Bangladesh’s economic progress under Hasina’s leadership.

He questioned the authors’ assertion of autonomy, alleging they are aligned with individuals opposed to the government, including Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. He also accused NGOs of downplaying the government’s achievements to bolster their own narratives.

Arafat called on journalists to challenge the report’s claims and demand evidence, warning that unverified allegations could contribute to political disinformation.