Kathmandu, June 18

It’s been 11 days since Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba assumed the high office on June 7, yet he has not formed his personal secretariat.

There is no one to disseminate information about PM Deuba’s meeting with leaders and his other news-making events.  Currently, PM Deuba has two aides managing his events and meetings. His personal aide Bhanu Deuba manages his meetings and he is assisted by Keshab Raj Joshi. But these two people do their jobs informally as they have not been approved by the cabinet.

Jagat Prasad Joshi, a Congress Mahasamiti member from Bajhang who went to the PM’s office in Singha Durbar today said the PM should already have formed his personal secretariat by now.

“It appears that the PM is finding it hard to choose candidates for his personal secretariat as there are many aspirants for the job,” Jagat Prasad Joshi, who is close to Deuba, said.

Joshi also said that some of the aspirants for chief posts of local levels could also be appointed in Deuba’s personal secretariat.

As per the rule, those who are appointed in the PM’s personal secretariat with equal status of minister of state should be approved by the cabinet. This rule, however, is not mandatory for posts below the state minister level.

Deuba’s predecessors had formed their secretariat almost within a week from the day they assumed office.

Former PM KP Sharma Oli had appointed most of his advisers and personal secretariat members within a week. “Oli however took a bit longer to appoint a political adviser,” Oli’s aide Pramod Dahal said.

Chakrapani Khanal, who served as political adviser to former PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal said there could be 35 people in the prime minister’s personal secretariat, including the team which handles the press.