Tangail: Tangail residents, party leaders, and activists expressed joy and excitement following the appointment of Sultan Salahuddin Tuku as a state minister, marking the first time in 36 years that a leader from Tangail-5 (Sadar) has been given a ministerial post. Sultan Salahuddin Tuku, the newly-elected Member of Parliament (MP) from Tangail-5, took his oath of office as the State Minister for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries, and Animal Resources during the cabinet swearing-in ceremony held on Tuesday afternoon (February 17).
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, in the 13th National Parliamentary Polls, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) candidate Tuku secured a commanding victory, receiving 1,31,279 votes. His nearest rival, Ahsan Habib Masud of Jamaat-e-Islami, trailed with 80,283 votes. Tuku, who previously led the central Chhatra Dal and Jubo Dal, currently serves as the propaganda secretary of the BNP central committee. His political career has been marked by intense struggle; during the Awami League government, he faced approximately 350 cases and endured 12 terms of imprisonment, spending about five years in jail and 46 days in remand.
Residents and political figures have expressed hopes that Tuku’s appointment will accelerate long-pending development projects, including the construction of an embankment along the Jamuna River, a bridge at Mahmudnagar, improvements in town infrastructure, enhanced healthcare services, and employment opportunities for the educated unemployed. These were key promises that Tuku made during his election campaign.
Reacting to his appointment, State Minister Sultan Salahuddin Tuku told BSS, “The people of Tangail wanted to see me in the cabinet, and their hope has been fulfilled. I am grateful to Allah and to my leader Patriot Tarique Rahman. I seek the prayers of the people of Tangail Sadar and the entire country to discharge my duties with honesty and devotion. Inshallah, I will fulfill the responsibilities entrusted to me.”