Only three advisors to PM submit resignation

Three advisors to the prime minister, not all six of the advisors, have submitted resignation letters.

The economic advisor to prime minister Mashiur Rahman, power, energy and mineral resources advisor Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, international relations advisor Gowher Rizvi submitted their resignation letters on Sunday.

Three technocrat ministers and the state ministers of the cabinet also submitted their resignation letters. They are science and technology minister engineer Yafes Osman, posts and telecommunication minister Mustafa Jabber and state minister for planning Shamsul Alam.

On Monday the cabinet division said that accepting the resignation letters of the ministers and advisors is under process. They may continue doing their duties till the resignation letters are accepted.

On Monday evening the cabinet secretary Mohammad Mahbub Hossain told journalists, upon the request of prime minister Sheikh Hasina the two technocrat ministers and a state minister and the advisors submitted their resignation letters. He said, “there is a process of accepting resignation letters. They have started it. The resignation will be effective after the process is completed.

While answering when the resignation letter will be accepted, Mahbub Hossain replied, “after the process is completed.”

Then the journalists wanted to know how many days it usually takes. In response, the cabinet secretary said, "There is no law that specifies a stipulated time." There is a process, since approval has to be taken.'

The posts are becoming vacant after the resignation, on the question of whether there is any instruction to assign responsibility to someone for routine work before the elections, the cabinet secretary said, first their resignations have to be accepted, when it will be gazetted (notice), then this topic will come up. Then the post will be vacant.

According to Article 58 of the constitution, the prime minister may request any minister to resign at any time.

Regarding the vacancy of ministers, the constitution states that the post of any minister other than the prime minister will vacate if one tenders one’s resignation to the prime minister for submission to the president.

Post and telecommunication minister Mustafa Jabbar went to his office at the secretariat on Monday, a day after submitting his resignation letter. He answered various questions of journalists there.

Mustafa Jabbar said, the resignation is not effective until it is accepted.
Citing the example of the 2018 elections, the minister said, "I submitted my resignation on November 6 and it was effective on December 6 or 7 of that year."

Mustafa Jabbar said that he will continue to work until the resignation letter is accepted. He also said that he disposed of six files on Monday morning.

On 15 November, the election commission announced the schedule for the 12th National Parliament elections. After 4 days, on 19 November, the technocrat ministers submitted their resignations.

Apart from the prime minister there are 25 ministers, 19 state ministers and three deputy ministers in the cabinet. The number of members of the cabinet including the prime Minister is 48. The resignation of three brought the number down to 45.