KATHMANDU, June 22: Madhesi People´s Rights Forum (MPRF) and Tarai Madhes Democratic Party (TMDP), two major partners of the present coalition government said they would join the council of ministers on Tuesday even if Sadbhavana Party (SP) does not take a decision in this regard. [break]
"Our party will submit the names of ministers to the prime minister on Tuesday" said MPRF leader Ram Janam Chaudhary. "The party was supposed to forward the possible names of ministers to the prime minister Monday but could not as our leader Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar was taken ill."
Gachchhadar suffered from fever and dysentery He could not attend the cabinet meeting on Monday.
TMDP General Secretary Hridayesh Tripathi also said that his party could have joined the council of ministers much earlier but could not as the SP was undecided. He said that his party would join the council of ministers on Tuesday irrespective of whether MPRF and SP do so or not.
The three Madhes-based parties have informally joined the government together. But their joining the council of ministers has been delayed because of the internal conflict within SP. According to sources, SP has demanded two ministerial portfolios to accommodate its leader Rajendra Mahato and Anil Jha in the cabinet. Both leaders aspire to become minister, causing serious conflict in the party.