KATHMANDU, JUNE 26
President Bidhya Devi Bhandari has, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, appointed new ministers from CPN (Unified Socialist). On June 5, the CPN (US) had written to the PM to replace four of its ministers.
President Bhandari appointed Jeevan Ram Shrestha as minister of culture, tourism, and civil aviation, Metmani Chaudhary as minister of urban development, and Sher Bahadur Kunwar as minister of labour, employment, and social security.
Bhawani Prasad Khapung, who was minister of state for health and population earlier, has been appointed as minister of health and population.
He replaces Birodh Khatiwada. Hira Chandra KC has been appointed as the minister of state for health and population.
Portfolios of other ministers remain the same. The CPN (US) had written to the prime minister on June 5 informing its decision to recall four of its ministers and replace them with new leaders. However, since the said ministers requested the prime minister to delay the reshuffle at least until they had defended their budgetary programmes in the Parliament, the PM waited till today to replace them. The CPN (US) was miffed at the PM for delaying the reshuffle.
Earlier today, Ram Kumari Jhakri and Prem Bahadur Ale tendered their resignations. Ale handed over his resignation to CPN (US) Chief Madhav Kumar Nepal; Jhakri wanted to tender her resignation to the PM, but Deuba told her that there was no need for it as her party had recalled her.
Ale, Jhakri, Khatiwada, and Shrestha had submitted a memorandum to the party on Friday opposing the party's decision to recall them from the Cabinet amidst budget discussion in the Parliament.
CPN (US) ministers had elicited the support of six lawmakers to pressure the party leadership to change the June 5 decision to recall them, but the party leadership refused to accept their argument.
The 10 lawmakers, including the four ministers, who had submitted a memorandum to the party on Friday had demanded that inclusion and balance in geographical representation be maintained while sending party leaders to the Cabinet. Top CPN (US) leaders, however, refused to change the party's June 5 decision.
Yesterday, Ale and five other lawmakers withdrew their signatures from the memorandum they had submitted to the party on Friday.
The party had recommended to the prime minister to appoint Jeevan Ram Shrestha as minister of culture, tourism, and civil aviation, a portfolio which Ale held till today.
The CPN (US) had also recommended to the PM to appoint Metmani Chaudhary as urban development minister replacing Jhakri and Sher Bahadur Kunwar as labour, employment, and social security minister replacing Krishna Kumar Shrestha. The party had decided to make Bhawani Khapung the minister of health and population, a portfolio held by Birodh Khatiwada. Hira Chandra KC has been recommended as minister of state for health and population.
Party chair Nepal said at a programme today that some ministers had already tendered their resignations.
"I have their resignation letters in my pocket and will make them public, if necessary," he said, adding that other ministers would also abide by the party's decision.
"Every party leader and cadre should be ready to abide by party decisions and if they cannot do that, they cannot become leaders," Nepal said. He added in order to command lower rank and file, one has to always abide by party decisions.
Nepal also said that ministers' resignations were not required to reshuffle the Cabinet.
"Our party's decision is sufficient to reshuffle the Cabinet," he added. He said the current ruling coalition would continue.
A version of this article appears in the print on June 27, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
