Journalists boycotted Bangladesh Bank Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder during a post-budget press conference held today (7 June).
The press conference, traditionally held the day after the budget announcement, was led by Finance Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali and attended by ten ministers, state ministers, and advisors.
The tension surfaced immediately after the finance minister's speech when Refayet Ullah Mirdha, president of the Economic Reporters Forum (ERF), addressed the finance minister.
"Bangladesh Bank has imposed a ban on journalists entering its premises. As a result, we have decided that we will not listen to the Governor's speech. We urge you to ensure that he does not give any speech. If the Governor of Bangladesh Bank speaks, we will boycott it," Mirdha said.
The room fell silent as the Governor remained seated, visibly taken aback. He did not speak for the remainder of the press conference, reports our correspondent.
This boycott follows the central bank's recent imposition of strict restrictions on journalists' access to its building.
On 25 April, the central bank announced that journalists could only visit its spokesperson with a specific permit issued by the bank.
"From now on, journalists will only be able to visit the spokesperson of the bank at its building using a specific permit," said Mezbaul Haque, the Bangladesh Bank spokesperson.
The restriction has ignited a significant backlash from journalists, who have vehemently protested and warned of escalating actions if the entry restrictions are not lifted.
At an event organised by the ERF last month, journalist leaders described the restriction as indicative of the chaos currently affecting the country's banking sector.
During today's press conference, questions about banking and financial sector issues were fielded by the finance minister, Prime Minister's Economic Advisor Moshiur Rahman, State Minister for Finance Waseqa Ayesha Khan, and Finance Secretary Md Khairuzzaman Majumdar.
