KATHMANDU, JUNE 25

Six out of 10 CPN (Unified Socialist) lawmakers who had submitted a memorandum expressing displeasure over the party's decision to change party ministers, withdrew their signatures today.

The six lawmakers who wrote to party Chief Madhav Kumar Nepal informing him that they were withdrawing signatures are: Prem Bahadur Ale, Dhana Bahadur Budha, Krishna Lal Maharjan, Gopal Bahadur Bam, Pushpa Kumari Karna and Bina Devi Budhathoki.

Now only Minister of Health and Population Birodh Khatiwada, Minister of Urban Development Ram Kumari Jhakri, Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Security Krishna Kumar Shreshta and lawmaker Nira Devi Jairu have not withdrawn their signatures from the eightpoint demand.

CPN (US) ministers who had submitted the memorandum yesterday had demanded that those leaders who were not a sitting member of the Parliament should not be recommended for minister and selection for Cabinet berth should be done on the basis of inclusion. They had also said that geographical representations should also be ensured.

CPN (US) Spokesperson Jagannath Khatiwada told mediapersons after the party's Central Committee meeting here that the prime minister should not delay reshuffling the Cabinet to induct the party's new nominees into the Cabinet.

'We are not going to wait for the PM and CPN-MC Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal's decision on Cabinet reshuffle. We want our new ministers inducted into the Cabinet immediately,' he added.

He said if the PM did not reshuffle the Cabinet, his party would take it as an affront. 'If the Cabinet is not reshuffled soon, we are going to tell other coalition partners that they fear a ripple effect within their outfits, but we take this delay as an offence,' Khatiwada said.

Asked if his party would leave the ruling coalition if the PM delayed inducting new CPN (US) ministers into the Cabinet, Khatiwada said they would not have to think about that.

He said the party would not think about the conditions put forth by some lawmakers.

'If any question arose in future about any minister's performance, the party would review and take appropriate decision, but at this stage, the party is determined to implement its earlier decision,' Khatiwada added.

On June 5, CPN (Unified Socialist) had decided to recall four of its five ministers from the government and send new ministers in their place.

Asked if his party would join another alliance led by CPN- UML, Khatiwada said that his party would not hold dialogue with the UML until the UML accepted his party as a separate party. 'Until now, the UML has not accepted us as a party. It had filed a case at the Supreme Court against us. So to hold talks with UML, the latter should withdraw the case and accept us as a separate party,' he added. He said the UML should also clarify about the dissolution of the House of Representatives.

CPN(US) has given high priority to the current coalition but keeps its door open for other parties as well. 'We will collaborate with all parties but will not surrender to any party,' Khatiwada said. CPN (US) role has been increasing in Nepal's politics particularly after local polls. Khatiwada said that his party won more than nine lakh votes in local polls when it contested only for 9,000 seats (around 27 per cent) and had the party contested all seats, it would have won a much higher number of votes.

A version of this article appears in the print on June 25, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.