RSP ministers halts their immediate resignation from portfolios NC General Secretary Thapa tells PM quit
KATHMANDU, JULY 4
While CPN-UML ministers resigned en masse yesterday, the party has urged the government not to make any decisions having long-term impact because Prime Minister Pusphpa Kamal Dahal has multiple portfolios.
Following the resignation of eight CPN-UML ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Physical Infrastructure Raghubir Mahaseth, President Ramchandra Paudel appointed Prime Minister Dahal to oversee their ministry portfolios.
Along with DPM and Minister Mahaseth, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Padam Giri, Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development Jwala Kumari Shah, Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation Balram Adhikari, Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Damodar Bhandari, Minister for Women, Children and Senior Citizens Bhagawati Chaudhary, Minister for Water Supply and Sanitation Rajendra Kumar Rai and Minister for Defense Hari Prasad Uprety, they tendered their resignation to Prime Minister Prachanda in accordance with Article 77 (2) of the Constitution of Nepal.
Meanwhile, CPN-UML General Secretary Shankar Pokharel said in a press statement today that Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal had no chance of garnering a trust vote at a time when the two major parties, the CPN-UML and the Nepali Congress, had agreed to form a new government.
"The government is already in a minority, so UML calls on PM Dahal to refrain from taking any long-term impact decisions," reads the statement. "We also ask Dahal to help form a national consensus government, as given the current political landscape, it appears overly ambitious for Dahal to secure a vote of trust within 30 days."
Dahal had 157 votes in the 275-member Lower House when he sought a trust vote on May 20. The CPN-UML has 77 members, while the prime minister's CPN-MC, the House's third-largest party, has only 32 seats. However, the Dahal government is now in the minority after losing support from the coalition's largest party.
On the other hand, the CPN (Unified Socialist) Party has decided to give Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal its vote of confidence. Ghanshyam Bhusal, former General Secretary of the CPN (US), told the media that the party fully supports the Dahal government.
Despite the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML's agreement to form a new government and their multiple requests for the Prime Minister's resignation, Dahal is preparing to send a letter to the Federal Parliament Secretariat requesting a vote of confidence.
In the past, prime ministers who were in the minority have resigned after giving a speech in Parliament, despite taking the time to seek a vote of confidence. According to media reports, the prime minister is currently in consultation.
Rastriya Swatantra Party has decided not to recall ministers immediately, despite earlier announcements that they would leave the government on Thursday.
Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane, Labour Minister Dol Prasad Aryal, Youth and Sports Minister Birajbhakta Shrestha, and Education Minister Sumana Shrestha of the RSP reached the prime minister's official residence in Baluwatar in the morning with the intention of submitting their resignations.
However, they returned without submitting their resignations, citing the prime minister's request for their continued service for the time being. RSP leaders stated that they changed their minds after listening to Prime Minister Dahal. They said Dahal informed them that he intended to seek a confidence vote in the House and sought RSP support.
"Our ministers did not submit their resignations after the prime minister informed us that he intended to seek a trust vote in the House and requested our support," RSP Chief Whip Santosh Pariyar said. "We have now suggested to the prime minister that he initiate the process of seeking the trust vote as soon as possible."
Gagan Thapa, General Secretary of the Nepali Congress, advised Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to step down and pave the way for formation a new government.
Speaking to the media in Biratnagar today, the leader stated that it would be appropriate for the Prime Minister to resign and pave the way for the formation of a new government, given that the government's major coalition partner has already withdrawn its support and left.
"A constitutional amendment appears to be essential to maintaining political stability," he stated. "The two largest parties in parliament, the NC and the CPN-UML, are working to form a national consensus government in a special situation."
