By Our Reporter
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, before completing the first year in office, had openly stated that he would reshuffle the Cabinet by bidding adieu to the non-performing ministers.
Then many had started guessing the ministers who were to be removed. But three weeks after completing his first year in office, PM Dahal has abandoned the idea of reshuffling the cabinet. A few days ago, he instructed the ministers to continue their work without having any fear of their removal from their present responsibilities.
This U-turn in PM Dahal was only because of Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, who did not want to change the ministers representing his party.
Deuba and some leaders close to him argue that any change in the cabinet can invite problems to the upcoming National Assembly elections and the NC’s Mahasamiti meeting.
Moreover, if the Cabinet was to be reshuffled, Deuba had to withdraw two ministers close to him and his spouse Arzoo Rana. In the latest central working committee meeting of the NC, most of the leaders objected to the working style of Health Minister Mohan Bahadur Basnet and Finance Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat. While Minister Basnet was criticised for cutting the funds allotted to feed the patients admitted to Bir Hospital and spoiling the environment of the total health sector, PM Prachanda is not happy with Finance Minister Mahat. But Deuba is not ready to remove these two ministers, and he cannot remove others before removing these two. As such, he concluded not to reshuffle the cabinet, prompting PM Dahal to backtrack from his plan of a cabinet reshuffle.
Now the cabinet will not be reshuffled until March when new National Assembly members take the oath of office.
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