KATHMANDU, Sept 2: Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal on Wednesday inducted nine more ministers into his already-swollen cabinet, bringing the number of ministers to 42 and making this one of the biggest cabinets in the country´s history. [break]
Despite this seventh expansion, the cabinet is yet to take full shape as the Tarai Madhes Democratic Party (TMDP) has not sent the three ministers in its quota. TMDP was to have recommend the three names to the prime minister but did not do so due to internal disagreements.
The number of ministers will climb to 45 when the cabinet expands for the eighth time to accommodate the three TMDP ministers. The cabinet will then become the second biggest ever. The biggest cabinet in Nepal was formed in 1996 when Sher Bahadur Deuba was prime minister. There were 48 members in his cabinet.
“There were 48 ministers in 1996 when parliament had only 205 members. It is natural to have this many ministers, considering there are 601 lawmakers at present,” Deputy Prime Minister Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar said while emerging from the swear-in ceremony at the President´s Office. He further said that the cabinet will be expanded once again as this is a coalition government of 22 parties.
This cabinet has became jumbo-sized because of the Madhesi parties, which hold the key to the present government. For instance, the Madhesi People´s Rights Forum (Democratic) is the third largest party in the coalition but it has nine ministers, three more than the Nepali Congress, the largest party in the coalition. MPRF(D) has three ministers - one minister, a state minister and an assistant minister- all at the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works.
Another coalition partner, Sadbhawana Party (SP), is the fourth largest partner in the government, but it has three ministers, including a minister without portfolio. The post of minister without portfolio was created to appease the party, which had otherwise threatened not to join the government back in July.
Among the nine ministers appointed Wednesday, two are full ministers, six state ministers and one assistant minister. Six ministers are from MPRF (D), two from SP and one from Rastriya Janashakti Party (RJP).
Laxman Lal Karna of SP has been named Minister Without Portfolio while Sarba Dev Prasad Ojha of MPRF (D) becomes Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare. Prime Minister Nepal administered oath of office and secrecy to Karna and Ojha in the presence of President Dr Ram Baran Yadav at the President´s Office Wednesday afternoon.
The newly appointed state ministers include Indra Prasad Dhungel of RJP (Ministry of Science and Technology), Sanjay Kumar Sah of MPRF (D) (Physical Planning and Works), Karima Begum of MPRF (D) (Agriculture and Cooperatives), Shatrughna Prasad Singh Kohiri of MPRF (D) (Tourism and Civil Aviation), Ram Bachan Ahir Yadav of MPRF (D) (Women, Children and Social Welfare) and Saroj Kumar Yadav of SP (Commerce and Supplies). The only assistant minister appointed, Assistant Minister for Physical Planning and Works Kalawati Devi Dushad, is also from MPRF(D).
Meanwhile, Nepali Congress ministers did not attend the swearing-in function. “They (Congress ministers) should have arrived here. But it is natural they did not come,” Prime Minister Nepal told journalists about the the Nepali Congress absence at the swearing-in ceremony.
“There is no other reason behind our absence. We were busy with the Central Working Committee meeting of our party,” Minister for Culture and Federal Affairs Dr Minendra Rijal told myrepublica.com.
Minister arrives late
State Minister for Science and Technology Indra Prasad Dhungel arrived late to take his oath at the State Hall at Singha Durbar, forcing officials at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Minister to organize a separate ceremony for him. He arrived about 45 minutes after the other state ministers were administered their oath.
“I was misinformed. I was told that the ceremony was scheduled for 3:30 p.m. but it was held at 2:30 p.m.,” Dhungel said.
Oath in mother tongue
Amidst the debate over the right to take oath in one´s mother tongue, newly appointed Madhesi ministers took their oath in Hindi and their mother tongues. Minister Karna took his oath in Hindi, translating the Nepali version as it was read out by Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal. Similarly, Minister Ojha translated the oath into his mother tongue, Avadhi. Other Madhesi ministers also took the oath in their respective mother tongues.
kiran@myrepublica.com
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