Rajshahi Sadar gets cabinet minister after 47 years

Rajshahi Sadar constituency has got a cabinet minister after a long gap of 47 years, as BNP leader Mizanur Rahman Minu has been appointed Minister for Land following his election in the 13th National Parliamentary Election.

Minu was elected from the Rajshahi-2 (Sadar) constituency and subsequently inducted into the cabinet as Minister of Land.

The last time a lawmaker from Rajshahi Sadar joined the cabinet was in 1979, when Emran Ali Sarkar became Minister of Relief and Rehabilitation in the government of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman.

With Minu's inclusion, Rajshahi district has so far produced five cabinet ministers.

Following independence, AHM Kamaruzzaman of the Awami League, elected from the Sadar constituency, served as Minister of Commerce and Industry and later as Minister for Disaster Management and Relief.

During the rule of Hussain Muhammad Ershad, Sardar Amjad Hossain from Bagmara served in different portfolios, including Food, Fisheries and Livestock, Land and Agriculture. He also held the position of State Minister for Food in 1986.

Later, Barrister Aminul Haque, elected from Rajshahi-1, served as Minister of Posts and Telecommunications from 2001 to 2006. During the 1991-96 parliament, BNP leader Kabir Hossain from Rajshahi Sadar served as State Minister for Land, while Aminul Haque also served as State Minister for Establishment in the same tenure.

Before Minu's appointment, Shahriar Alam, elected from Rajshahi-6, served as State Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2017 to 2024.

A veteran BNP leader, Minu previously served as an adviser to the BNP Chairperson. At the age of 32, he was elected mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation and held the post for 17 consecutive years. During his tenure as mayor, he was also elected Member of Parliament from Rajshahi Sadar in 2001.

This is the first time Minu has been appointed as a cabinet minister.

People of Rajshahi, cutting across party lines, have expressed satisfaction over his appointment. Sweets were distributed in different neighbourhoods of the city following the announcement.

Reacting to his appointment, Minu said he would work tirelessly not only to discharge the responsibilities of the ministry but also for the development of Rajshahi.

Shariful Islam Jony, acting convener of the Rajshahi city unit of Jubo Dal, said Minu was the architect of modern Rajshahi and had devoted his life to the party.

He thanked Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on behalf of the people of Rajshahi for appointing Minu as minister.