"Since NC President Girija Prasad Koirala has consistently taken up the promotion issue with the prime minister he is no longer in the mood or in a position to resist Koirala´s request," he said. [break]
Asked when she might be promoted, he said it could happen some time next week after the prime minister consults senior NC leaders. NC President Koirala on Thursday urged Prime Minister Nepal, for the third time, to promote his daughter. The PM responded, saying he would take a decision after Koirala’s daughter returns home. Sujata Koirala returned Saturday from the United States, where she had gone to accompany the prime minister to the United Nation´s General Assembly.
Prime Minister Nepal has been feeling the heat over the issue since the Nepali Congress Central Working Committee (CWC) and senior leaders of the party have vehemently opposed Sujata’s promotion. The NC CWC meeting condemned Sujata last month after she boycotted Prime Minister Nepal´s India visit to express her displeasure over not being promoted. The NC meeting also issued a statement saying that the party hadn´t demanded a deputy prime ministership.
Leader of the NC Parliamentary Party Ram Chandra Poudel had met Prime Minister Nepal and urged him not to promote Sujata to DPM without an institutional decision by the NC party. "The prime minister feels unnecessarily trapped in the ongoing power struggle within the NC and he will inform the senior NC leaders, including Poudel, about his decision," said the aide.
NC CWC members are still dead against Sujata´s promotion. "Since the CWC hasn´t changed its last decision over the issue, the prime minister should not promote her upon an individual request," said one angry CWC member, requesting to remain unnamed.
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