Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has asked the four technocrat ministers to step down as part of a process to reconstitute the cabinet ahead of eleventh parliamentary election.
The four technocrat ministers are: Religious Affairs Minister Principal Motiur Rahman; Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Mustafa Jabbar; Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Nurul Islam BSc and Science and Technology Minister Yafes Osman.
Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader came up with the disclosure while talking to reporters at Ganabhaban on Tuesday, report UNB and bdnews24.com.
“She (the Prime Minister) has asked the technocrat ministers in the cabinet to tender their resignation letters,” Quader said.
The road transport and bridges minister, however, said the other members of the cabinet will remain in office.
Quader said they may sit in talks for several times with their alliance partners to settle the seat-sharing issue.
Once the dialogue is over, he said, the Prime Minister will deliver a speech over the outcomes of ongoing political dialogue at a press conference at Ganobhaban at 12 noon on Thursday.
He also said there is no scope for holding any more dialogue after Wednesday next.
The latest political developments came amid widespread speculations that the Dr Kamal-Hossain-led Jatiya Oikyafront may place a proposal on Wednesday during the talks with the Prime Minister to form an election-time cabinet inducting some ministers from the opposition parties.
After the latest reshuffle in the cabinet in January, there were 30 ministers, 17 state ministers and two deputy ministers in the Hasina-led government.
Among them, Religious Affairs Minister Motiur Rahman, Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Nurul Islam, Science and Technology Minister Yeafesh Osman and Telecom and IT Minister Mustafa Jabbar are the technocrat ministers.
Besides, Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad is a special envoy with the rank of a minister to PM Hasina.
Besides, five advisers to the Prime Minister are equivalent to ministers.