Leaders, senior citizens and party activists in Khulna have expressed disappointment after no parliamentarian from the divisional city was included in the newly formed BNP-led Cabinet.
The government, which comprises 25 full ministers and 24 state ministers, left Khulna; an important industrial and port city, entirely unrepresented.
Local leaders say that having a cabinet member from Khulna could have accelerated development in the long-neglected region.
Khulna Metropolitan BNP General Secretary Shafiqul Alam Tuhin said, “As a divisional city, Khulna deserved priority. Out of six parliamentary constituencies here, BNP won four seats, so it is disappointing that none of our MPs received a place in the Cabinet.”
Khulna Metropolitan BNP President Advocate Shafiqul Alam Mona, however, expressed satisfaction that BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman has become Prime Minister.
Sheikh Ashraf-uz-Zaman, President of Greater Khulna Development Coordination Committee, criticized the exclusion as a “major injustice.”
He pointed out that industries and factories in Khulna remain closed, gas supply is inadequate and business activity is stagnant. “Without representation in the Cabinet, the city’s voice on these critical issues is ignored,” he said.
Advocate Babul Howlader, Secretary of Khulna Civil Society, echoed these concerns, noting the region’s economic potential in the southwest. He warned that the absence of a Khulna representative in the Cabinet could slow development, adding that people had hoped at least one MP would speak for the city’s neglected population.
Prominent businessman Asadur Rahman highlighted the disparity with nearby districts, noting that in Jashore and Bagerhat, MPs from constituencies with fewer BNP victories were included in the Cabinet as state ministers.
Despite winning four of six seats in Khulna, none of the city’s MPs received Cabinet positions, leaving residents feeling overlooked once again.
Historically, Khulna MPs have held key government positions in previous administrations. In 1996, late Salauddin Yusuf from Khulna-5 served as Health Minister and in 2009, Begum Munnuzan Sufian from Khulna-3 was State Minister for Labour and Employment.
Narayan Chandra Chand from Khulna-5 served as State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock in 2014 and later became a full minister.
Begum Munnuzan Sufian again served as State Minister in 2019 and in 2024, Narayan Chandra Chand held the position of Land Minister.
The current Cabinet’s omission of Khulna representatives has stirred calls among local leaders and civic groups for greater attention to the city’s development and economic revival.
SMS/SH
