Kathmandu, December 12

Standing Committee members of the Unified CPN-Maoist today criticised ministers representing the party for failing to deliver.

Faced with criticisms from various quarters of society, party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal had called a meeting of the standing committee to discuss the issue.

According to Minister of General Administration Rekha Sharma, Home Minister Shakti Basnet, Minister for Commerce and Supplies Ganesh Man Pun and Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi briefed the standing committee on the activities being carried out by their respective ministries.

Claiming that the failure of their ministries to deliver would damage the party’s reputation, Chairman Dahal urged the ministers to carry out their duties effectively.

Sources claimed, many standing committee members of the party criticised home minister for sending relatives of the party leaders on a China trip meant for the earthquake victims. Some of the standing committee members even urged the leadership to recall the party’s ministers.

Standing committee members Gopal Kirati and Janardan Sharma vehemently criticised Home Minister Basnet while Vice-Chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha urged the leadership to relieve him of the responsibility of the coordinator of the party’s mechanism formed to supervise government’s activities.

Dahal told Shrestha to continue with the responsibility and that the party would take necessary decision regarding the issue through the ongoing central committee meeting.

Shrestha had commented that the ministers had failed to deliver as they lacked ‘vision’.

The three ministers briefing the standing committee meeting today, however, focused factors hindering their works.

Pun accused the civil servants of not allowing him to perform, while Energy Minister Rayamajhi said problem was created by explosion of transformers as manyhouseholds were using electricity for cooking meals.