SIGNS OF A NEW BANGLADESH: The National Charter is the constitutional backbone of this new Government. Much of power is being shifted from the Prime Minister’s Office toward the President and Parliament. Notably, MPs are now allowed to vote against their party, weakening the "party dictatorship" of the 'shepherd'. Yet the economist's Charter is falling short of a vital trigger that could catapult Bangladesh to the top—having had the rarest of rare opportunuty. Who will spend the people's money?

DHAKA, Feb 17: In a historic shift for South Asian politics, Tarique Rahman, chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh on Tuesday.

The ceremony marks the formal end of nearly two decades of political exile for the BNP and the conclusion of the 18-month interim administration led by Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus.

The swearing-in ceremony took place at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) rather than the traditional Bangabhaban (Presidential Palace). This change was reportedly made to accommodate a massive guest list of approximately 1,200 attendees, including foreign dignitaries such as India’s Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu and representatives from Pakistan, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath of office to the 60-year-old Rahman, son of former Prime Minister the late Khaleda Zia and the late President Ziaur Rahman. In addition to the Prime Minister, a cabinet of 25 ministers and 24 ministers of state was also sworn in.

A new Bangladesh

The BNP’s return to power follows a decisive victory in the 13th parliamentary elections held on February 12. The BNP secured a commanding two-thirds majority with 209 out of 297 seats contested. Jamaat-e-Islami won a record 68 seats, forming a significant portion of the new Opposition. The erstwhile ruling party, Awami League of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina was barred from contesting the elections.

This election was the first since the 2024 student-led "July Revolution" that ousted the 15-year regime of Sheikh Hasina. It is also being hailed as the world’s first "Gen Z-inspired" election, with high turnout among young voters who demanded sweeping structural reforms.

Economic challenges and foreign policy

In his first address following the oath, Prime Minister Rahman called for national unity and the rule of law, promising an era of "clean politics" and an end to the "culture of vengeance."

On the economic front, he faces the challenge of managing 8.5% inflation and rebuilding the vital garment export sector. On the foreign affairs front, he needs to repair strained ties with India while managing infrastructure partnerships with China.

Notably, Rahman is the first male Prime Minister of Bangladesh in 36 years, breaking a long-standing "battle of the Begums" between Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina.

Continuity with Change: An analysis

The transition of power in Dhaka has introduced a blend of seasoned political veterans and new "technocrat" faces, alongside a radical new constitutional framework known as the July Charter.

The 49-member Cabinet (25 ministers and 24 ministers of state) reflects a strategic effort to balance the BNP's traditional base with the reformist energy of the student movement.

High-ranking members of the BNP National Standing Committee have taken senior roles. This includes Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chaudhury, and Salahuddin Ahmed.

To maintain stability during the transition from the interim government, Dr Khalilur Rahman (formerly the National Security Adviser to Dr. Yunus) has been appointed as the Foreign Minister. He is expected to lead the diplomatic push on the Rohingya crisis.

In a nod to the 2024 revolution, Jonaid Saki of the Gonosanghati Andolan—a popular figure during the student protests—has been sworn in as a Minister of State.

For the first time in years, the cabinet includes members from minority communities, including Nitai Roy Choudhury, emphasizing the "inclusive" mandate of the new administration.

The July National Charter 2025 is the constitutional backbone of this new government. Negotiated by 26 political parties and the Yunus administration, it aims to prevent the return of autocracy.

No individual can serve as Prime Minister for more than 10 years (two terms). Bangladesh will move from a single house to a bicameral system. A new 100-member Upper House will be established via proportional representation to ensure smaller parties have a voice.

The neutral caretaker system, which oversees elections to ensure fairness, has been officially reinstated and constitutionally protected.

The Charter establishes an independent Judicial Appointments Commission, removing the Prime Minister’s power to hand-pick judges.

Power is shifted from the Prime Minister’s Office toward the President and Parliament. Notably, MPs are now allowed to vote against their party line on most bills (except money bills), weakening the "party dictatorship" of previous eras.

Alongside the February 12 election, citizens participated in a national referendum to approve a Referendum Charter. With the BNP and its allies securing a "Yes" vote, the newly elected Parliament will now act as a Constitutional Reform Council to finalize these amendments within the next two years.

The incident has triggered a debate on social media whether the officer refused to take orders from a party leader or he was accused of any corruption, some netizens justifying the handling in either case, that Ratnakar was blocking public welfare work! It is true the Govt machinery has been the enemy Number One of the people of this country, existing for itself and for these politicians, for well over seven decades. India will never make an inch of progress - real progress, not make-believe-progress - unless and until this machinery is eliminated.

The irony lies in her illustration of her experiences in the country she has been living in for the last four years. What it really is!

ANALYSIS: There have been cases of Britons going to Switzerland to get rid of a miserable life. Now once the House of Lords also passes the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, terminally ill Britons can call it quits with the help of a medical practitioner here itself. But the measure when comes into practice, will have very serious social consequences, it is feared. There won't be comparisons, even as tropes in Latin American folklores. The worst case scenario is of those who are not terminally ill also trying to misuse the provision to leave this world early when life with dignity is not available. But that is, in fact, a political question and not a moral imbroglio!

The CCTV footage and the video circulating on social media do not indicate any serious abnormalities in takeoff or descent, it has been confirmed. The disaster is becoming curiouser and curiouser. The flight path was not curvy. And the aircraft maintained a steady, gliding descent with its nose straight and the wings perfectly level. The pilot's distress call does not specify what prevented lift and climb-out. Here are some expert opinions. The sole purpose is to raise travellers' awareness about air travel.

Many of the victims were charred beyond recognition, making identification difficult. Three hundred nineteen body parts have been sent for DNA matching with relatives to determine the identities.

• The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla line provides Kashmir with all-weather connectivity and integrates the Valley with the rest of India.
• The saying 'Kashmir to Kanyakumari' is now a dream come true.
• The Chenab bridge on the line, an engineering marvel, is the world's highest railway bridge, taller than the Eiffel Tower. (Video: File)

A comment on social media on Kanimozhi's answer on the question of national language read: "Daughter of Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi. Delivered the Birthday Present to her Father!!" (Karunanidhi was born on June 3, 1924) (Today's headlines )

Trump said, "Elon is not really leaving" and will be "back and forth" to the White House because DOGE is his "baby." "I think he’s going to be doing a lot of things.”

Musk wrote: "My scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end... The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government." Now on it will be on auto-pilot.

PROGNOSIS: DOGE was prematurely born to protect the country by aborting an impending socio-economic disaster which very few people could see coming.

Although its immediate job was to save American taxpayers billions by slashing waste, eliminating fraud, cutting Government bloat and ensuring utmost efficiency in administration for the good of the people. (Today's headlines )

"Coming from a system like in England, empowering," she says she never had an idea of this sort of experience... being asked to “socialise with middle-aged men” who financed the event...humiliating...

Originally from Junagadh, Gujarat, Pataudi was relocated to Etawah Lion Safari in September 2019 before being transferred to Gorakhpur Zoo in 2021. Recently it was receiving treatment for pancreatic and liver infections. After tigress Shakti died in the zoo on May 7 due to bird flu, Pataudi was shifted to Kanpur. Some birds are also reported to have died mysteriously around Gorakhpur. All zoos in UP are closed for fear of a bird flu outbreak.

Three other animals too had died - a tiger, a leopardess and a female wolf. Wolf Bhairavi died last Saturday, leopardess Mona died the Thursday before that and tiger Kesari died on March 30. Some of them had Shakti's symptoms but the cause of death has not been confirmed yet.

As tourist inflow is an indicator of normalcy returning to an erstwhile terrorist infested Valley, the Government has been trying hard to make everything travel-friendly, launching lot many projects and bringing Kashmir on the national rail map that physically completes the process of Kashmir's integration with the rest of India. And that defeats the designs of Pakistan eyeing Kashmir and simply explains a recrudescence of terrorism in J&K.

The committee headed by justice Kurian Joseph will study Centre-State relations and make proposals to ensure foolproof separation of powers.

"It's a big victory not just for Tamil Nadu but for all Indian States. DMK will continue to struggle for and win State autonomy and Federal polity," Chief Minister MK Stalin said.

Of 2.08 km in length, it features 99 spans and a 72.5-metre vertical lift span that rises up to a height of 17 metres, facilitating smooth movement of ships while ensuring seamless train services to the holy town of Rameswaram on Pamban island.

ANALYSIS: There is a lot of hue and cry around the world over Trump's tariffs. But tariff, simply put, is a tax. But unlike tax, it affects the exporting country too. Domestic prices will go up for some time. Nothing more will happen, good or bad!

What motivated Trump's newfound policy, apart from being a stunt to justify his existence in the White House, is a false realisation that increased tariff will make foreign goods prohibitive, thereby boosting local production, and create more jobs, and more prosperity will ring in! If that is true, India would have been shining by now: Producing own Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail and Scotch Whiskies! And what about coconut and palm oil by America! (Today's headlines )

PROGNOSIS: It looks a Real New Trump is emerging - courageous, balanced, powerful and disinterested. Determined to save his country from the cliff, he has done quite a few draconian things that will reduce the burden of debts of the Federal entity, like the golden handshake, stopping senseless funding, pulling out of a worthless WHO. Shutting the Education Department is another. On the other hand, running it is also not the Centre's job either (We will convincingly elaborate it in the next chapter).

In India the scene is just the opposite. Centralisation is the core agenda and identity of the ruling dispensation without which it has no existence, or in other words, it exists for that set of schemes only. A realisation of this never dawned upon any Opposition party in 2014 or any time thereafter, what to talk of being able to see it coming 70 years ago! The consequence of all this violation of basic natural law of the universe we cannot predict.

THE AMERICAN CONUNDRUM: Political venom has migrated to top echelons in the US. It was reported last year NASA has become politicised, vitiated. But NASA refuted the charge. How Boeing developed a glitch but its unmanned return was smooth. When Suni-Wilmore were stranded last June, why the return was set for February? Because that comes only after January 20! SpaceX called the shots, for itself and for Trump. Then the mission was manipulated for March for a better bargain! In between, what made Elon Musk 'predict' during campaign if Kamala Harris wins he would be in jail. In politics, it is said, "the only rule is there are no rules." Difficult times for Americans too.

The terminations are part of a large-scale exercise going on all across Fed departments and organisations to reduce wasteful Government expenditure as decided by a Trump in a mess gone berserk, and improve administrative efficiency following the whims of billionaire and his associate Elon MusK and his DOGE. It has not been shared how terminations are going to raise the efficiency bar! It looks like Trump has stolen some of the prescriptions meant for India. But the American problems are quite different.

Suddenly these colonial clerks feel this effortless, little rule will tremendously enhance security and convenience for the railway passengers manifold. More stations will be covered in the next 77 years! (Also See: New Delhi station stampede... What went wrong?)