SM Mizanur Rahman :The Cabinet reshuffle may take place today (Tuesday) in bid to making the government more efficient, a highly placed official source said. “The reshuffle may take place on Tuesday afternoon,” Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told The New Nation yesterday. Official sources said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina may induct some new faces in her cabinet this time to bring pace in the activities of a number of ministries. The sources said AL leader Nurul Islam BSC, Tarana Halim MP and former food minister Abdur Razzak are likely be inducted into the newly reshuffle cabinet. On the other hand, some others may go. “The leaders having dedication, sincerity and admiration for clean image for the ruling Awami League (AL) are likely to be inducted in the cabinet,” said an AL front ranking leader. He said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has already evaluated the overall performance of her cabinet members (ministers and state ministers). “The portfolios of those who put up a poor show will be changed through inclusion of new cabinet members. At least six more ministers will have to go,” the leader said. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina removed Syed Ashraful Islam from the LGRD ministry on Thursday and made him minister without portfolio. Earlier, Latif Siddque was sacked from the cabinet on September 30 last year.According to the government sources, Food Minister Qamrul Islam and Disaster and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya are likely to be removed following their controversial activities. Qamrul Islam is facing serious allegations over import of rotten wheat from Brazil while Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya’s role in the Dhaka City Corporation elections made Prime Minister unhappy. Besides, Maya is also facing graft case, which has been upheld by the Supreme Court. Apart from Quamrul and Maya, Religious Affairs Minister Matiur Rahman, Fisheries and Livestock Minister Sayedul Haque, Social Welfare Minister Mohsin Ali and Textile and Jute Minister Emajuddin Pramanik are likely to go due to what the Prime Minister’s term ‘they are not physically fit’. Meanwhile, Sheikh Hasina warned her colleagues of losing portfolios for failure to put up satisfactory performance, added the sources. AL President Sheikh Hasina, who was sworn in as Prime Minister on January 12, formed her council of ministers by inducting lawmakers of four other parties into her cabinet.In the 49-member council of ministers, she included the chiefs of the Workers Party Rashed Khan Menon, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal Hassanul Haque Inu and Jatiya Party-Manju Anwar Hoesin Mnaju, and three MPs of the Ershad-led Jatiya Party.Tarikat Federation and BNF, the two other parties having representation in parliament, are not in the cabinet. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina held talks with party’s senior leaders on exclusion and inclusion of party leaders in the cabinet. Some state ministers will be made full ministers while the ministers from the main opposition Jatiya Party are likely to be removed to avert criticism. The prime minister expanded her cabinet on January 24 through inclusion of six state ministers. The council of ministers now has 38 members. Besides, there are seven advisers to the prime minister.After the January 5th general elections, Hasina dropped 35 of her grand alliance cabinet colleagues because of their “controversial” activities. They include Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir, Dipu Moni, AFM Ruhal Haque, Hasan Mahmud, Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Mahbubur Rahman.Hasina also picked some new faces with clean images, including Imajuddin Pramanik, Asaduzzaman Noor, Mostafizur Rahman Fizar and Shahriar Alam. But her new picks also include some controversial figures like Zahid Malik, Nasrul Hamid Bipu and Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya.The PM also appointed HT Imam, Moshiur Rahman, Gowher Rizvi and Maj Gen (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique as her advisers with the status of full ministers.
