Maoists likely to join without home ministry

KATHMANDU, March 1: Changing its stance on power-sharing in the current coalition, UCPN (Maoist) is likely to join the government on Tuesday without taking charge of the home ministry.



According to sources, Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal will put forward the proposal in the party standing committee slated for Tuesday morning, and the party is most likely to endorse the proposal.



"We are holding a meeting of the party standing committee at 7 am tomorrow (Tuesday) and discuss the chairman´s proposal,´" said a source close to Dahal. [break]



On Monday, Chairman Dahal also publicly stated that his party would join the government within a day or two, but did not divulge the details. His statement came hours after he held separate meetings with prime minister Jhalanath Khanal and CPN-UML leaders to discuss power-sharing.



"… reactionary forces are trying to prevent us from giving a full shape to the cabinet," said Dahal at a party´s function shortly after his meetings with Khanal and senior UML leaders, "We´ll take a bold decision in a day or two."



The ministry of home in the coalition has become the bone of contention between the Maoists and the UML.



Dahal´s remarks have come at a time when the deadlock over power-sharing between the prime minister´s UML and the UCPN (Maoist) has become protracted. Though the parliament elected Khanal as prime minister on February 3, he has not been able to give portfolios to two of his three cabinet colleagues and expand the cabinet with participation of other political parties, including UCPN (Maoist), as both the UML and the UCPN (Maoist) continue to stake claim for the home ministry.



Earlier in the morning, Dahal had held a meeting with the prime minister to discuss the deadlock over cabinet expansion and met senior UML leaders Madhav Kumar Nepal, KP Oli and General Secretary Ishwar Pokharel.



Dahal, while addressing the function organized to mark the unification of the Communist Party of Nepal (Masal) in the capital, accused the "domestic and foreign reactionary forces" of not letting the cabinet to get a full shape.



Maoist Vice-chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai and leader Dinanath Sharma were once associated with the Masal party before joining then CPN (Maoist). The coordinator of the party, Dilaram Acharya, joined the UCPN (Maoist) on Monday, a few months after the party´s other leaders Nabaraj Subedi and Lila Thapa joined the UCPN (Maoist).

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