Paving the way for constitution of an “all-party” interim Cabinet to oversee next parliamentary elections, all 52 Ministers and State Ministers have submitted their resignations on Monday.
After a Cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Cabinet Secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuyan said the Ministers whose resignation would not be accepted by the Prime Minister would continue with their portfolios in the interim government. The interim cabinet would have some new faces too.
Requesting the Opposition to join the polls-time government, Ms. Hasina had proposed an all-inclusive interim government. But Opposition leader Khaleda Zia denounced the idea. The BNP and the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 18-party alliance called for an 84-hour strike to force the government to accept their demand for a neutral caretaker administration. But the ruling alliance led by the Awami League is pushing ahead with its plans.
The second day of the 84-hour shutdown was marked by sporadic violence, clashes and reports of bomb explosions.
Few buses and private vehicles were seen in Dhaka and major towns.
The police on Monday recovered nearly 200 handmade bombs in Dhaka’s Lalbagh area, including a dozen from Dhaka University area.
