Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to reshuffle her cabinet anytime soon to bring dynamism in the government.
A major shake-up might see some Awami League stalwarts, who were left out of the party helm, inducted into the cabinet and a few low-performing state ministers axed, sources said.
Hasina will rearrange her team as the government has taken a lot of flak at home and aboard for bad performance of some ministers with important portfolios, said insiders of AL and cabinet.
Abdur Razzaque, Tofail Ahmed, Suranjit Sengupta, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Obaidul Quader, Prof AK Azad Chowdhury, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Maj Gen (retd) Abdus Salam, Maj (retd) Rafiqul Islam, Asaduzzaman Noor and one of the lawmakers from Jessore and Khulna could be placed in the new line-up, said sources in the government and the party.
Former state minister for home Tanjim Ahmad Sohel Taj, son of country's first prime minister Tajuddin Ahmad, who resigned from the cabinet on May 31, 2009, could be named as a minister this time.
One or two of them will possibly be included in the advisory body of the prime minister while certain current advisers will be brought in the cabinet, either forming new ministry or splitting some of the large ministries like LGRD and cooperatives, information and cultural affairs, labour and manpower, food and disaster management.
Some other ministries including home, commerce, communications, water resources, industries, civil aviation and tourism ministries might also undergo rearrangement.
However, some sources said the premier does not want to pick the aggrieved leaders for the council of ministers. On the other hand, some of them are not interested to take over the minister's job anymore as two years of the term have passed already.
“The prime minister is seriously planning to reshuffle the cabinet,” an official at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) told The Daily Star.
Hasina, also the ruling party chief, reviewing the performance of her team expressed dissatisfaction, said sources close to the PM.
Performance of some cabinet members drew severe criticism within central AL leaders as well as parliamentary standing committees on different ministries.
Some AL leaders observed that Hasina should bring changes in the cabinet to speed up development.
Hasina, who was sworn in as prime minister on January 6, 2009, included 31 members -- 23 ministers, eight state ministers -- into her council.
Later on January 24 the same year, she appointed six new faces as state ministers. Finally, she expanded her council by adding a minister and five state ministers, and reshuffling 10 portfolios on July 31, 2009.
Asked about the possible cabinet reshuffle, a senior minister who maintains close relations with the premier said, “She [Hasina] can bring changes in the cabinet anytime she wishes. It's her jurisdiction.”
On performance of the present cabinet, AL Presidium Member Obaidul Quader said, “No comment.”