Kathmandu, November 25

Samajwadi Party-Nepal Chair Upendra Yadav, whose portfolio was changed by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in the recent Cabinet reshuffle, without consulting his party, assumed charge of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs today.

SP-N leaders had objected to the recent Cabinet reshuffle particularly the change in Yadav’s portfolio and sacking of SP-N State Minister Surendra Yadav from the new Cabinet. A meeting of SP-N office bearers said on Friday that the recent Cabinet reshuffle was against the norms of a coalition government, but today when Yadav took charge of the new ministry, he said reshuffling the Cabinet was the prime minister’s prerogative.

Yadav also said that he was given the new portfolio because the PM cared more about the fact that he would gain more experience by taking charge of a new ministry.

Political analysts, however, said change of Yadav’s portfolio in the recent Cabinet reshuffle was an indication that PM Oli treated him as an unwanted participant in the Cabinet. They also said that Yadav’s decision to accept humiliation was indicative of his declining political influence in the Madhes in particular, and in the country in general.

Political analyst Puranjan Acharya said Yadav’s decision not to quit PM Oli’s Cabinet after being deprived of the portfolio of Health and Population Minister, was an indication that Yadav cared more for power and prestige rather than his Madhes agenda. “Yadav’s decision to accept humiliation shows that he has abandoned the Madhes agenda and is scared of Kathmandu or state power,” he said, adding that from now on people of Madhes wouldn’t trust Yadav if he championed the cause of identity. “Yadav has gradually become a villain of politics,” he added.

Acharya said Madhes agenda was being hijacked by the two major parties- the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) and the main opposition Nepali Congress in recent years.

Another political analyst Hari Bansha Jha said Yadav faced two options after the recent Cabinet reshuffle — to quit the government or accept humiliation — and he chose the latter. “Yadav’s decision to accept humiliation indicates that he is losing grip on Madhes politics and will be reflected in the next general elections.”

Jha said Yadav had given up everything that he championed in the past as he changed the name of his party removing the word ‘Madhes’ from the party’s name. “Yadav’s party joined the NCP-led government committing to play a role in amending the constitution in order to address the demands of Madhesis, but all these months, Yadav did not do anything in that regard,” he added.

Another political analyst Tula Narayan Shah said the change of Yadav’ portfolio in the recent Cabinet reshuffle brought the cold war that Yadav had with the prime minister within the Cabinet to the fore. “Yadav appears to have accepted the humiliation because he thinks that he can get a plum ministry after NCP Co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who now holds executive power in the party, becomes more active in the coming weeks and months,” he added.