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Kathmandu Thursday February 08, 2001 Magh 26, 2057.
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Koirala forms
37 member Cabinet
Khadka, Mahat refuse to take oath of office
Post Report
KATHMANDU, Feb 7 – Prime Minister
Girija Prasad Koirala today made the much awaited reshuffle in the cabinet expanding it to
a 37-member strong force to include faces from the rebel camp in the ruling Nepali
Congress (NC).
So far at least two ministers among them have
refused to accept the offer for these cabinet posts and are yet to take the oath of
office. The number is up from 21-member cabinet that had governed the country since
Koirala assumed power some 10 months back.
The reshuffle, which is seen as
Koirala’s attempt to bring peace in the party did not meet its target as two of the
main rebel members who had been offered full cabinet posts refused to take the oath of
office. Khum Bahadur Khadka who was named Minister for Physical Planning and Works and Ram
Sharan Mahat named the Minister for Finance said that they had refused to accept the
ministerial berths even after their names were publicly announced.
"This move made by the prime minister
without consulting senior leader Krishna Prasad Bhattarai would not help in keeping unity
in the party," the statement signed by Khadka and Palten Gurung said. "And
because of this reason we have decided to boycott the swearing in ceremony and refuse to
take the posts."
Koirala however persuaded Gurung to take
office by going to his house.
Sources in the party said that Mahat refused
not because he was against being part of Koirala government but he did not want to take
the Finance Ministry. He stated that there should be continuation in the finance policy
and the person heading the ministry.
The reshuffle was to include faces from the
anti-Koirala camp. However with the refusal from Khadka and Mahat, there is only one
person from the camp. Omkar Prasad Shrestha has been appointed Minster for Tourism and
Civil Aviation.
This still leaves Koirala in an uncomfortable
situation within his own party failing to bring in as many people from the rebel camp as
he has initially expected and announced.
"We had asked the prime minister to
first complete nomination of the remaining members of the Central Working Committee but he
did not listen to us. It was his prerogative to make the changes," said Chiranjivi
Wagle, a leading anti-Koirala figure in the party.
There are 12 new faces in the list but only
Prakash Koirala as the only new one holding full cabinet post. However, there are six new
Ministers of State and most of them are loyal Koirala supporters who have helped him
assume power last year and then keep him in office during the few attempts to oust him
from office.
People like Shiv Kumar Basnet, Pushkar Nath
Ojha, Hari Prasad Sapkota and Mahadev Gurung, Krishna Sitaula and Benup Raj Prasai have
been Koirala’s weapons that actively removed Bhattarai from power last year and saved
him during the motion of no-confidence brought by the rebels in the party.
Among these State Ministers, Mohammad Aftab
Alam, Sitaula and Kamala Pant will be taking in charge of their respective ministries with
no ministers above them. Alam’s appointment itself is controversial since he was
compelled to quit by opposition parties in his alleged involvement in an abduction case
last year.
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