4 from Rangpur in new cabinet, hopes rise for balanced development
The four ministers took oath at the swearing-in ceremony of the council of ministers on yesterday afternoon (17 February).
People from different walks of life in Rangpur division have expressed satisfaction over the inclusion of four leaders from the region in the new cabinet of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, hoping that long-standing development disparities in the division will be addressed.
The four ministers took oath at the swearing-in ceremony of the council of ministers on yesterday afternoon (17 February).
They are Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives and BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir from Thakurgaon; Minister for Women and Children Affairs AZM Zahid Hossain from Dinajpur; Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Asadul Habib Dulu from Lalmonirhat; and State Minister for Water Resources Farhad Hossain Azad from Panchagarh.
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Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has been elected as a Member of Parliament from Thakurgaon-1 constituency. He previously served as State Minister for Agriculture.
AZM Zahid Hossain, a BNP Standing Committee Member, has been elected as an MP from Dinajpur-6 constituency.
Asadul Habib Dulu, BNP Rangpur divisional organizing secretary, has been elected as an MP from Lalmonirhat-3 constituency. He earlier served as Deputy Minister for Food and Disaster Management during the BNP-led government from 2001 to 2006.
Farhad Hossain Azad has been elected as an MP for the first time from Panchagarh-2 constituency.
In the 13th Jatiya Sangsad election, BNP secured 14 seats in Rangpur division, while the 11-party alliance won 18 seats and an independent candidate secured one out of a total of 33 seats in the division.
Expressing optimism, college student Muhaimenul Islam of Rangpur said he believes the BNP government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, son of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, will ensure balanced development across the country.
He hoped that the four ministers from Rangpur division would work to eliminate the development disparities that people in the region have long faced.
He also expressed hope that, alongside overall development, the ministers would place special emphasis on agriculture, industrialization and implementation of the Teesta Master Plan to ensure sustainable development for nearly two crore people of the division.
Similar views were echoed by teacher Mostafizur Rahman, businessman Mizanur Rahman, rickshaw puller Ariful Haque, lawyer Advocate Munir Chowdhury, mechanic Mohammad Ibrahim and housewife Sharifa Khatun, among others in Rangpur city.
They congratulated Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and members of his cabinet and expressed hope that the new government would move the country forward, strengthen institutions and consolidate democracy in the days ahead.
