New home minister unlikely till the Supreme Court releases full text of verdict in Lamichhane citizenship case
KATHMANDU, JANUARY 31
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal will keep the home portfolio with himself until the Supreme Court releases the full text of the verdict delivered in the citizenship case filed against Rastriya Swatantra Party Chair Rabi Lamichhane.
The SC invalidated Lamichhane's election to the House of Representatives which resulted in the loss of his home portfolio which he held before the SC verdict. After Lamichhane got his Nepali citizenship restored, he wanted to be reappointed as the home minister and met Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal this morning and CPN-UML Chair KP Sharma Oli in the evening.
CPN-Maoist Centre Vicechair Krishna Bahadur Mahara told mediapersons after the ruling party's office bearers' meeting here today that the PM would keep the home portfolio with himself until the SC released the full text of the verdict. Exiting from the party meeting, Dahal said CPN-MC leaders had advised him to keep the home portfolio with himself.
CPN-MC leader Ganesh Shah told THT that the PM told office bearers that although ruling coalition partners had been pressuring him to make Lamichhane the home minister again, he would think about it only after the SC released the full text of the verdict.
Another CPN-MC leader Lilamani Pokharel told THT that his party wanted to wait till the full text of the SC verdict mainly because the police had been investigating against Lamichhane for allegedly holding two passports -- Nepali and American -- at the same time and the Office of the Attorney General had not taken a call yet (about whether or not a case should be filed against him).
Asked what the CPN-MCled government would do if the RSP withdrew support to the government, Pokharel added, "We cannot compromise just because our government will be in trouble.
Media should write why Lamichhane is adamant about getting the home portfolio back," he added.
RSP Joint General Secretary Kabindra Burlakoti said Lamichhane met the PM today and sought the home portfolio for himself but the PM said that he would take a call after consulting his party.
Anybody who is not a lawmaker can become a minister for six months. Lamichhane wants to become the home minister hoping that he can continue to be at the helm of the ministry as his chances of getting elected from Chitwan Constituency No 2 in the bye-lection were high.
Burlakoti said the RSP had not yet decided who should get the home portfolio, which the party got as a power sharing deal.
"It may be Lamichhane or someone else, but we have not decided about it yet," Burlakoti said.
He added that his party wanted to address people's grievances against law enforcement agencies, district administration offices, and rampant corruption. "People go to lodge complaints but their complaints are mostly not registered and, if registered, are not acted upon. We want to address such problems.
We also want to ensure good governance for which we need the home portfolio,"
Burlakoti said.
A version of this article appears in the print on February 1, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
