Political storm erupts over Ghising’s dismissal from NEA

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s political climate has intensified after the Cabinet’s decision to remove Kulman Ghising as Managing Director of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), replacing him with Hitendra Dev Shakya.

The move has sparked outrage within the ruling Nepali Congress (NC). Party spokesperson Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat expressed dissatisfaction, revealing that the plan to remove Ghising had previously been put on hold, with no internal discussions on the matter.

NC leaders Gagan Thapa and Bishwaprakash Sharma condemned the decision, warning it was a misguided move. Even Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak reportedly opposed it during the Cabinet meeting.

However, Energy Minister Deepak Khadka and Foreign Minister Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba, both from the NC, backed the dismissal.

Maoist Centre Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ sharply criticized the decision, recalling Ghising’s role in solving Nepal’s load-shedding crisis. He called the removal unjust and an act of arrogance from the government’s two-thirds majority.

Opposition leader Rajendra Lingden of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party also condemned the move, calling it an abuse of power and vowing to challenge it in Parliament.

Kulman Ghising has announced plans to take legal action against the government, and with rising discontent, the issue is set to stir further political turmoil, likely leading to debates in both Parliament and the courts in the coming weeks.