By Our Reporter
At a time when the leaders in the ruling Nepal Communist Party and outside the party are eagerly waiting to see who the next Finance Minister will be, Prime Minister K P Oli is reportedly mulling over keeping the ministry with himself by appointing Dr Yuba Raj Khatiwada as his chief advisor.
Media reports have stated that PM Oli wants to give a greater role to Khatiwada to oversee the country’s financial affairs after he was forced to step down for a technical reason.
As per the existing constitutional provision, a person must be a lawmaker of the federal parliament to become a minister. If a non-lawmaker is appointed as a minister, he must take the oath of office and secrecy as a member of the federal parliament within six months of the appointment. But in the new development in the ruling Nepal Communist Party, all doors for Dr Khatiwada’s reentry to parliament were shut down. The two-year term of Khatiwada expired six months ago. But PM Oli appointed him Finance Minister in March but failed to bring him in the NA. Khatiwada was forced to tender his resignation after PM Oli failed to recommend his name for his reappointment in the upper house.
PM Oli has already conveyed that he will keep some ministerial portfolios with himself and he will not reshuffle the cabinet.
Oli intends to keep the finance ministry with him as he wants someone experienced to deal with the current financial crisis caused by COVID-19. Although Bam Dev Gautam, Bishnu Paudel and Surendra Pandey are looked as potential finance minister, party insiders say Oli is mulling to appoint Khatiwada as his chief advisor to help him handle the Finance Ministry.
It is reported that Oli plans to appoint his current chief advisor Bishnu Rimal as the chief political advisor. If Khatiwada is not appointed Oli’s financial advisor, he may be rewarded with an ambassadorial position in the US or any of the countries in Europe, say sources.
People’s Review Print Edition
Login to add a comment