Several heavyweights deprived from cabinet
Staff Reporter :
A new cabinet has been formed under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, comprising 25 full ministers and 24 state ministers. However, several senior BNP leaders, long considered influential figures within the party, were not included in the cabinet lineup. Instead, seven of them have been appointed as advisers to the Prime Minister, with minister and state minister status.
The oath-taking ceremony of the Prime Minister, ministers, and state ministers was held on Tuesday afternoon at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. Although the event generated significant interest among party leaders and activists, the exclusion of several heavyweight leaders from the cabinet list has triggered discussion in political circles.
Despite being in consideration until the final stages, the following leaders were left out of the cabinet: Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, Mirza Abbas, Fazlur Rahman, Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Dr Osman Faruk, Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, Shamsuzzaman Dudu, Lutfuzzaman Babar, Dr Reza Kibria, Barrister Andaleeve Rahman Partho, Khairul Kabir Khokon, and Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon, among others.
Notably, Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and Vice Chairman Shamsuzzaman Dudu were also not included in the cabinet.
Except for Shamsuzzaman Dudu, Nazrul Islam Khan, and Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, most of those who did not secure cabinet posts had previously served in key ministries during earlier BNP governments.
Meanwhile, the government has appointed 10 individuals as advisers to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. Five of them have been granted the status of minister, while the remaining five hold the rank of state minister.
According to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division on Tuesday evening, the appointments were made under Rule 3(b) of the Rules of Business, 1996.
Those appointed as advisers with ministerial status are: Mirza Abbas, Nazrul Islam Khan, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Md Ismail Jabiullah, and Dr Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir.
Advisers appointed with the status of state minister are: Humayun Kabir, Brigadier General (Retd) Shamsul Islam, Dr Zahedur Rahman, Dr Mahadi Amin, and Rehan Asif Asad.