By Our Reporter
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has completed 100 days in the office.
In his third stint as the Prime Minister in 15 years, Dahal’s honeymoon period this time was marred by uncertainty and instability amid a deepening economic crisis. He also wasted more time inaugurating small projects, attending the programmes of different organisations and delivering speeches.
Obviously, it is only PM Dahal, not the government, has completed the 100 days in office.
Dahal, who took the oath of the Prime Minister of Nepal on December 26, 2022, has not yet given a complete shape to the government. He held the responsibilities of the 16 ministries for over a month after the collapse of the previous coalition of the Maoist Centre, the CPN-UML, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Rastriya Swatantra Party, Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal, Nagarik Unmukti Party and Janamat Party forged on December 25, 2022.
A meeting of the above-said parties held at KP Oli’s Balkot residence in the afternoon of December 25 had decided to form the government under Dahal after Dahal unexpectedly reached Balkot when the Nepali Congress denied giving him the post of the PM.
Before the election of November 20, 2022, NC and the Maoist Centre had forged an electoral alliance, but that alliance collapsed because of the arrogant attitude of some of the NC leaders, especially Arzu Rana and Prakash Sharan Mahat towards Dahal’s demand that the latter should lead the government.
However, PM Dahal was fed up with the activities of CPN-UML chair Oli immediately after the formation of the government, which led to the collapse of the coalition in two months.
The government of the previous coalition had fallen into crisis after the Supreme Court annulled the post of lawmaker of Rabi Lamichhane, president of RSP and Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister in the Cabinet.
Ultimately, the coalition collapsed before the March 9 election of the President reviving the pre-election coalition, and prompting Dahal to secure the vote of confidence for the second time, which he received on March 20.
However, Dahal failed to expand the Cabinet for days, and he expanded it only on March 28, that’s too leaving five ministries without ministers because of a row within the Nepali Congress.
When PM Dahal failed to expand the cabinet for days and when a dispute erupted within the NC after NC president Deuba attempted to appoint six of the eight ministers from among his close aides, the Shekhar Koirala faction strongly objected to that statement that at least three ministers should be from his faction. As a result, Deuba could send only four ministers to the Cabinet on March 28, and if the dispute deepened in the NC, the government may not receive the support of the Koirala camp, which had more qualified leaders to defend the government. As such, the government looks vulnerable all the time and a vulnerable government cannot deliver as it has to spend more energy to save it.
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