Power coalition and Upendra: Retaliating, removing ministers

KATHMANDU: The Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) has fired four ministers. The angry power alliance was pressuring Jaspa to leave the government after he formed an electoral alliance with the CPN-UML. The leaders of the power coalition have always supported the removal of JSP ministers. Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba fired them after they refused to resign.

Ministers for Federal Affairs and General Administration Rajendra Shrestha, Physical Infrastructure Minister Mohammad Istiaq Rai, Forest and Environment Minister Pradeep Yadav, and Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Minister Mrigendra Kumar Singh have all been removed. Shrestha led the party into government and was appointed minister in Ashoj (Sept/Oct) 2078, whereas Istiaq, Pradeep, and Mrigendrakumar were appointed ministers only in July 4. On Oct 8, JSP, a member of the ruling coalition, reached an agreement with UML on electoral coordination. The ministers, however, did not resign.

By removing the minister, the government exacted revenge on the JSP and its leader, Upendra Yadav. At the last minute, the government retaliated against the JSP, which had left the ruling coalition, by joining forces with the opposition UML. By removing JSP ministers, Prime Minister Deuba has sent a message that the JSP will not be included in the alliance even after the election.

However, the cabinet will be incomplete as a result of this step by the government and the ruling coalition. This is not the first time that the government has been unable to function during elections. The same situation occurred during the elections for the State Assembly and the House of Representatives in 2074.

Deuba was the Prime Minister at the time. In 074, the ruling partner party CPN-Maoist Center joined forces with the UML. Deuba was the Prime Minister at the time. The Maoist center formed an electoral alliance with the UML during Deuba’s tenure as Prime Minister. Even after consulting with the UML, Prime Minister Deuba appointed all ministers without departments after those appointed from the Maoist center did not resign. He went to the election as a departmental minister. Deuba, who had previously experienced not being removed from the ministry despite taking responsibility, dismissed the ministers who should have been removed at the time.

The cabinet has become ineffective once more as a result of the removal of JSP ministers. Appointing a new minister is difficult for the elected government. Following JSP’s alliance with UML, the Democratic Socialist Party (LSP) joined the ruling coalition. Due to the election code of conduct, LSP leaders cannot be appointed. As a result, the ministries will be without leadership.

The Ministry of Defense had already been vacated. The post of Law Minister Gobind Bandi was eliminated due to the constitutional provision that non-MPs can only serve as ministers for six months. Six ministries have become vacant in the Council of Ministers as a result of the dismissal of JSP leader ministers.

The Madhes state government has been impacted by Prime Minister Deuba’s removal of JSP ministers from the federal cabinet. Lal Babu Raut, the Chief Minister of Madhesh State, is also preparing to remove ministers from the ruling coalition party from the Council of Ministers.

Preparations have been made to remove Nepali Congress, CPN-Maoist Center, and Unified Socialists leaders from the Madhesh government cabinet led by Raut of the Janata Samajwadi Party. There are three Congress ministers, two United Socialist Party ministers and one state minister, one Maoist minister and one state minister in the Madhesh state government.

Physical Infrastructure Development Minister Ram Saroj Yadav, Water Supply and Energy Development Minister Om Prakash Sharma, and Women, Children, Youth, and Sports Minister Birendra Prasad Singh are all members of the Congress.

Minister of Industry, Tourism, and Forestry Shatrudhan Mahato, Minister of Law, Justice, and State Assembly Affairs Pramod Yadav, and Minister of State Nagendra Rai Yadav are all members of the CPN Unified Socialists. Similarly, Bharat Prasad Shah, Minister of Home and Communications, and Ruvi Kumari Karn, Minister of State, are both members of the CPN-Maoist Center.

-Gyanu Ghimire/MK