Kathmandu, Nepal, September 22, 2020: The cabinet reshuffle issue has exposed at again the internal rift of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP). Secretariat meeting of the party scheduled for Monday has been postponed to Tuesday due to the differences over the division of ministerial posts among the rival factions of the party.
It was supposed that secretariat meeting called at 1:00 PM at Parisdanda for Monday would finalize the names of leaders to be inducted in the government. However, it was postponed just hours before convening the meeting after leaders from the rival factions failed to finalize the names of to be appointed ministers, thanks to the inter and intra factional war within the ruling party.
The Secretariat meeting held on Sunday had decided to reshuffle the cabinet on the basis of the decision taken by the party’s Standing Committee. However, the party has yet to discuss about the criteria for the reshuffle of the cabinet. As per the standing committee meeting, Prime Minister Oli deserves the right on the function of the government though the meeting had mandated him to take decision from the party.
As numbers of aspirants are high in the party to be included in the cabinet, the issue of cabinet reshuffle would expose again the disputes though the months long internal conflict was believed to have settled with the agreement to divide the posts and positions among the rival factions.
As negotiations for some key positions at constitutional bodies and foreign missions has also begun in the ruling NCP along with the issue of Cabinet reshuffle, the party leadership has felt difficulties to manage the differences by dividing posts among the rival factions.
The ruling NCP had reached at the verge to vertical split after executive chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who was backed by senior leaders Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhala Nath Khanal demanded KP Sharma Oli’s resignation from both the posts as Prime Minister and party president alleging him of taking unilateral decisions.
As party’s vice president Bam Dev Gautam, who was nominated to the National Assembly member, has claimed the post of senior deputy prime minister along with a powerful ministry and party’s spokesperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha is also eyeing a ministerial berth along with deputy prime minister, Prime Minister Oli has felt a big pressure to manage the internal dynamic of the party by dividing posts in the government.
