By Our Reporter
Against the public expectation that the Cabinet would be expanded by Monday as claimed by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Deputy Prime Minister Narayankaji Shrestha, the leaders of the ruling parties failed to reach a consensus on power sharing even by Tuesday night.
Now, Maoist leader Dev Gurung is saying that by coming Friday, PM Dahal will be expanding his cabinet.
Instead of sorting out the differences that surfaced on the issue of the cabinet expansion, the leaders of the 10 ruling parties diverted the issue by discussing the draft of the government’s common minimum programme on Tuesday evening.
Now it seems the parties will expand the Cabinet only on Friday, because the Nepali Congress, the largest party in the present coalition, has called the meeting of its office bearers and central members only for Thursday.
Obviously, the delay was because smaller parties claimed more ministries. While NC having 88 seats in the House of Representatives has demanded nine seats and is likely to get eight ministries, the CPN (Unified Socialist) having only 10 seats has demanded three ministries including the Home Ministry. Likewise, Janata Samajwadi Party has sought three and other smaller parties having four or three members are seeking two ministries each. This bargaining has only delayed the expansion. And within the parties like NC, the leaders are spending energy to satisfy the lawmakers willing to become ministers.
Seeing the parties and their leaders demanding an unreasonable number of ministries, one can conclude that the political parties are least bothered about national priorities. What they want is power and the facilities they enjoy after reaching power. Now when a large number of loan shark victims have arrived in Kathmandu walking for 11 days from the Tarai, when many people are failing to get a job, and when the country is reeling under financial crisis, the leaders are only focusing on power.
Moreover, when the leaders are unable to sort out the power-sharing dispute at home, Arzu Rana, a leader and wife of NC party president Sher Bahadur Deuba, reached New Delhi, India, as if she was there for an agrément of the ministers!
Login to add a comment