UDMF to throw its weight behind Jha

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: Minister of Physical Planning and Works Hridayesh Tripathi who is also the Vice Chair of the Terai Madhes Democratic Party has said that the United Democratic Madhesi Front is determined to make Industry Secretary Umakant Jha the next Chief Secretary.

The clarification came a day after differences emerged between ruling the Unified CPN-Maoist and the UDMF over who should be the next chief bureaucrat.

Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai is said to be favouring Lila Mani Poudel (Secretary, Prime Minister’s Office) while the UDMF is throwing its weight behind Jha.

Tripathi said the UDMF’s strength would be reflected tomorrow when the Cabinet would formally appoint the new successor of Chief Secretary Madhav Ghimire. He said all the so- called glorious parties had flouted the rule of seniority since 1991 in the appointment of chief secretary and the same practice would be continued this time too.

“We are in a transition and hence cannot break barriers of the past so easily,” Tripathi added. He said a Madhesi bureaucrat was becoming eligible for chief secretary for the first time in the country’s history and if Jha did not win the appointment, the opportunity would not be available for any other Madhesi bureaucrat at least for another 10 years.

Tripathi said the UCPN-M, Nepali Congress and CPN-UML had their own favourites for the post, and therefore, they could not preach the lesson of seniority to the UDMF.

On different note, he said the government expected that the president would put his seal of approval on two election related ordinances forwarded by the government yesterday.

He said the prime minister would not resign unless there was an agreement on the unsettled issues of constitution and the modes of promulgating a new constitution.

The Madhesi leader said a new government without UCPN-M and UDMF could not be formed and even if it did, it would not last long.