The heir to one of Bangladesh's most influential political families, Tarique Rahman, was sworn in as the country's new prime minister on Tuesday. Among the 50 ministers inducted into his cabinet is Nitai Roy Chowdhury, the sole Hindu minister, who took oath.
Nitai Roy Chowdhury is a senior Bangladeshi politician and lawyer and currently serves as a vice president of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). In the February 12, 2026, national elections, he won the Magura-2 constituency, defeating a candidate from Jamaat-e-Islami.
He previously served as a senior adviser to three-time prime minister Khaleda Zia, who is also Rahman's mother.
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Born on January 7, 1949, in Hatbaria village in Mohammadpur, Magura district, Roy Chowdhury completed his schooling at Alokdia Pukhuria High School and went on to graduate from Magura Government College. He later studied law and earned a master's degree from the University of Dhaka.
Political Life
His parliamentary career began in 1988, when he was elected to the Jatiya Sangsad from the Magura-2 constituency. He also served briefly as Minister of Youth and Sports for about three months from September 1990, during the government of Hussain Muhammad Ershad. Following the fall of the Ershad regime, he joined the BNP and later rose to become its vice chairman.
Roy Chowdhury has been an outspoken critic of Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League, accusing the party of establishing what he described as a "fascist regime" that undermined judicial independence and misused state power.
Addressing concerns over communal violence, Roy Chowdhury has said there were "isolated attacks" on Hindus when the BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami alliance came to power in 2001.
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"By doing a case study, you will see that Sheikh Hasina's party Awami League is involved in all the communal violence that has happened in the country. Awami League is the biggest enemy of Hindus," he claimed.
On Relations With India
On relations with India, Roy Chowdhury said, "Bangladesh is at the belly of India. That is why India wants the well-being of Bangladesh in its interest. BNP understands this," adding, "BNP realises that the relationship should go deeper."
Personal Life
Roy Chowdhury was married to Jhuma, and the couple has three children. Their daughter, Nipun Roy Chowdhury, is an active BNP politician and a member of the party's executive committee. She previously held leadership roles at the district level and is married into another prominent BNP family; she is the wife of Amitav Roy, son of senior BNP leader Gayeshwar Chandra Roy. Gayeshwar Roy also won a seat in the February 12 election on a BNP ticket.
Roy Chowdhury's son, Debasish Roy Chowdhury, serves as a judge in the High Court of Bangladesh. He has one more son, called Mithun.
