Who would become a minister? It was a discussion that dominated tea stalls, bazaars and even Awami League offices yesterday.

The newly elected AL lawmakers were guessing and speculating as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina alone knows who would get a chair at her table.

The MPs were talking to each other in person and over phone. They even asked journalists for hints and made statements about why they should be picked.

Supporters of some MPs, who see themselves fit to be ministers, organised human chains in districts to promote their leaders.

The Jatiya Party's decision to be the main opposition in parliament came as a boon for some alliance lawmakers. It has opened up more cabinet seats.

JP Chairman HM Ershad yesterday wrote to Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury asking her to take necessary measures so that he and JP co-chairman GM Quader could act as the leader of the opposition and deputy leader of the opposition in parliament.

Despite it being the weekend, the cabinet division had a hectic day yesterday to complete necessary procedure for the ministers' swearing in to be held at the Bangabhaban around 3:30pm tomorrow. 

As part of the preparations for the oath taking ceremony, the division yesterday asked the Paribahan Pool to ready at least 40 SUVs for taking the new ministers to the Bangabhaban, sources said.

Medical and fitness tests of 40 drivers were also completed, they said.

Hasina did not hold any official meeting with her party's high-ups to discuss her probable cabinet. She did not even say how many ministers would her cabinet have, AL insiders said. 

They mentioned names of a few who could be in Hasina's mind. AL presidium members Faruk Khan and Abdur Razzaque, AL president's adviser Salman F Rahman, former Bangladesh Bank governor Mohammed Farashuddin, former IGP Nur Mohammad, AL leader Dipu Moni, Bangladesh ODI skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, AKM Abdul Momen, former BSMMU vice-chancellor Pran Gopal Dutta were among them.  

JP DEVELOPMENT

In the letter to the Speaker, Ershad said, “According to the election results, JP got 22 seats and has emerged as the second largest party and therefore became the main opposition party.”

“Under these circumstances, the party has made the decision that, I, Hussain Mohammad Ershad (Rangpur-3), will act as the opposition leader and party's co-chairman Golam Mohammad Quader (Lalmonirhat-3) will act as the deputy leader of the opposition,” Ershad in the letter said. 

On Friday, going against his party's parliamentary body's decision, Ershad announced that JP would be the main opposition and that he would be the leader of the opposition.

JP's parliamentary party on Thursday unanimously decided to join the AL-led alliance government.

In a statement sent to the press, Ershad yesterday nominated JP Secretary General Moshiur Rahman Ranga as the opposition chief whip.

GM Quader, younger brother of Ershad, yesterday said his party would be a strong opposition.

“Instead of resorting to acts of violence, we want to be a strong opposition in the House and raise our voice for the country and its people,” he said.

While addressing a press conference at Ershad's Banani office, Quader said, “There will be no Jatiya Party lawmaker in the new cabinet as it wants to play a positive role in the House for the sake of the country.”

Quader said Ershad was quite well and he would take oath immediately after talking to the Speaker.

Awami League President Sheikh Hasina-led new cabinet will be formed tomorrow excluding some heavyweight ministers of the immediate past cabinet.

Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam today announced the names of the new cabinet members including 24 ministers, 19 state ministers and three deputy ministers.

A total of 31 new faces were included in the cabinet while 25 ministers, nine state and two deputy ministers of the immediate past cabinet were excluded.

Some new faces have been given priority in the new cabinet to give them space bringing dynamism in the state function, an Awami League leader wishing anonymity told The Daily Star.

The Awami League bigwigs are among Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, Health Minister Mohammad Nasim, LGRD Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Expatriate Welfare Minister Nurul Islam, Social Welfare Minister Rashed Khan Menon and Housing and Public Works Minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain were dropped from the new cabinet.

Public Administration Minister Syed Ashraful Islam died on January 3. Finance Minister AMA Muhith, prior to the 11th parliamentary election, told that he would take retirement and thus he did not participate in the December 30 national election.

Among the Awami League-led 14-party grand alliance, Workers Party of Bangladesh President also former Social Welfare Minister Rashed Khan Menon and Jatiya Samastantrik Dal (JSD) President also former Information Minister Hasanul Huq Inu were dropped from the new cabinet.

Former Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, Relief and Disaster Management Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, Foreign Minister Abul Hasan Mahmud Ali, Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor, Food Minister Qamqul Islam were also kept aside from the new cabinet.

Of them, Maya was not given nomination to contest the just ended national election.

Among the state ministers, former State Minister for Textiles and Jute Mirza Azam, Jatiya Party Presidium Member and also State Minister for Labour Mujibul Haque Chunnu, State Minister for Information Tarana Halim and State Minister for Local Government Mushiur Rahman Ranga were also dropped form the new cabinet.

There is no Jatiya Party lawmaker in the new cabinet as the party has recently announced that it would act as a real and effective opposition party in the 11th parliament.

There were three state ministers in the immediate past cabinet.

Awami League secured 257 seats, its alliance partners Jatiya Party got 22, Workers Party of Bangladesh 3, Bikalpadhara Bangladesh 2 Tarikat Federation 1, JSD 2 and Jatiya Party (Manju) secured 1 seat in the December 30 national election. 

However, Awami League did not pick any lawmaker from its alliance partners in the new cabinet.

The cabinet today approved the draft of a law that will pave the way for depositing the idle money to the public exchequer as Tk 2,12,100 crore remained unused till May this year.

The approval came from a regular weekly meeting of the cabinet held with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair at the Secretariat here.

“The cabinet has approved the draft of the law for paving the way to help deposit the idle money to the public exchequer as the idle money is not now being invested for good purposes. The money has now been kept idle with various banks as FDR,” Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam told a news briefing at the Secretariat.

He went on saying that the money will be used to carry out development works.

According to the information updated till May 2019, as many as Taka 2,12,100 crore of 68 autonomous, semi-autonomous, government statuary authorities, public non-financial corporation and self-governed organisations are kept idle, he informed.

Shafiul added: “Among the top 25 organisations, Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) has idle money of Taka 21,580 crore followed by Petro Bangla Taka 18,208 crore, Power Development Board (PDP) Taka 13,454 crore, Chittagong Port 9,913 crore and Rajuk Taka 4,030 crore.”

In accordance with the proposed law, the idle money of the organisations will be brought to the state exchequer after excluding the expenses for running the organisations, money for implementing various projects with their own finance and an additional 25 percent of the money for running the organisations to face any emergency situation, he added.