By Our Reporter
After Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli last week reshuffled the Council of Ministers by inducting three new faces, all loyal to him, with controversial Bishnu Prasad Paudel as Minister for Finance, dispute has resurfaced in the ruling Nepal Communist Party.
The dispute further escalated after State Assembly members loyal to PM Oli registered a no-confidence motion against Chief Minister of Karnali State Mahendra Bahadur Shahi, who is close to NCP chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
The dispute in Karnali State took a dramatic twist after Madhav Kumar Nepal-led faction backed Shahi, which resulted in the foiling of the motion and ousting of Chief Whip Gulab Singh Shah.
The new development made PM Oli defensive in Karnali case, and on Wednesday Oli and Dahal held a meeting to resolve the dispute. However, the meeting ended by issuing contradicting statements by the secretariats of the party chairmen. While PM Oli’s press advisor claimed that the dispute was resolved Dahal’s advisor Bishnu Sapkota said otherwise, hinting that the dispute was not resolved.
Dahal and Nepal have not been happy with Prime Minister after the reshuffle of the Cabinet because PM Oli appointed those leaders who were close to him.
While Bishnu Paudel, who had a direct link with the Baluwatar land scam, was appointed Finance Minister, Krishna Gopal Shrestha was given the portfolio of Urban Development Ministry and Lila Nath Shrestha was given the portfolio of the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens while Parbat Gurung, who was looking after the Women, Children and Senior Citizens Ministry was given the portfolio of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology. But Deputy Prime Minister Ishwar Pokhrel was severed of his portfolio of the Defence Ministry as PM Oli kept the portfolio with him.
Appointment of Paudel, who is General Secretary of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP), as Finance Minister has irked the people as many had not expected that Oli would reward him until he is cleared off the blame. While NC vice president Bijaya Gachchhadar, in the capacity of the minister during the time of taking the decision on Baluwatar land, is facing a case, a leader who bought the land was appointed Finance Minister. Paudel’s appointment showed the Prime Minister Oli tends to give protection to corrupt persons if they are close to him.
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