Likewise, PM Nepal also administered oath of office to Dambar Shrestha, a minister representing the Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Leninist), and Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar of Madhesi People’s Rights Forum (MPRF).
The portfolios of none of the ministers except Koirala and Gachchhadar have been decided yet. While Gachchhadar is given portfolio of Deputy Prime Minister and Ministry Physical Planning and Works, Koirala leads the NC ministers in the cabinet as foreign minister despite serious reservations about her leadership in the NC.
NC Acting President Sushil Koirala, Vice Presidents Ram Chandra Poudel, Prakash Man Singh and Gopal Man Shrestha and General Secretary Bimalendra Nidhi had asked party President Girija Prasad Koirala to rethink his proposal to send his daughter as the party’s leader in the cabinet. The dissatisfied NC leaders on Thursday said they continue to have reservations over the party’s leadership in the cabinet even as they have no reservations over the party’s ministers.
General Secretary Nidhi said the party’s leadership in the cabinet and the names of the ministerial candidates were two entirely different things. “We do not have any reservations over the names sent into the cabinet as ministers,” he said. Nidhi said, “We stand by our stance,” and added, “We do believe that the issue of party leadership in the cabinet will be settled in due course.”
Know your ministers
Bijaya K Gachchhadar
He is the parliamentary party leader of the Madhesi Peoples’ Rights Forum (MPRF) that has 52 seats in the House. While his party was still considering whether to support the new coalition or not, Gachchhadar took a bold decision and garnered the signature of 32 lawmakers in favor of Nepal-led coalition. He was elected to the CA from constituency-7 of Morang and Constituency-5 of Sunsari.
A former leader of the Nepali Congress, Gachchhadar defected to the MPRF just ahead of the CA elections. In the NC government formed after the 1991 parliamentary elections, he was State Minister for Information and Communications. Later, he became General Secretary in Deuba-led Nepali Congress. In the Maoist-led government, he was Minister for Physical Planning and Works.
Sujata Koirala
The only child of Nepali Congress (NC) President Girija Prasad Koirala, Sujata is Minister for Foreign Affairs in the rainbow coalition led by Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal. Sujata had lost to Madhesi People’s Rights Forum Chairman Upendra Yadav in Sunsari Constituency- 5 during the Constituent Assembly election held on April 10, 2008.
She is head of the department of foreign affairs at the NC. She was minister without portfolio in the interim government led by her father in the aftermath of the April, 2006 uprising. She fled to India following the royal takeover in February, 2005, and returned to Kathmandu after former king Gynendra conceded power. Toeing the line of her father, she repeatedly argued that uprooting monarchy would create a power vacuum in the country and cost the ethnically-diverse country dear, and later floated the idea of a baby king.
Married to a German national, Sujata had been living in Germany and returned to Nepal after her father became prime minister in 1991. Since then, she has been active in politics. Sujata also runs an NGO, the Susma Koirala Memorial Trust, set up in the name of her late mother. Sujata’s name has featured in a number of corruption scams, but any allegations remained unproved.
Minendra Rijal
NA central leader Minendra Rijal is another minister in the new government. He was elected to the CA under the proportional representative (PR) system.
A doctorate in Economics from the USA, he was also a member of the National Planning Commission. He is also a former vice president of the Nepal Students Union (NSU), student wing of the NC. Rijal is one of the operators of the Apex College in Kathmandu. A close aide of Sher Bahadur Deuba, Rijal was spokesperson of the Deuba-led Nepali Congress (Democratic) party.
Prakash Sharan Mahat
Prakash Sharan Mahat was elected to the CA under the PR system. A doctorate in Economics from the USA, Mahat had already worked as State Minister for Foreign Affairs in the NC (Democratic) government prior to the royal takeover. Former general secretary of the Nepal Students Union, student wing of the NC, Mahat began his political career in the 1970s. He was a member of the committee formed by the Seven-Party Alliance
to bring the Maoists into the political mainstream.
Bal Krishna Khand
NC central member Bal Krishna Khand was elected to the CA from Constituency-3 of Rupandehi. Former president of the NSU, Khand began his political career in the 1970s. An MA in Political Science, Khand was a former president of the Tarun Dal, youth wing of the Nepali Congress. He is also a former education minister. He is regarded as close to party leader Sher Bahadur Deuba.
Umakant Choudhari
A Central Working Committee member of the NC, Umakant Choudhari was elected to the CA from constituency-5 of Bara. Chaudhari, an MSc, is regarded as close to party leader Deuba. A former minister for agriculture and cooperatives, Choudhary started his political career in the 1970s. He was also into NSU politics as a student at Tribhuvan University.
Purna Kumar Sherma
NC CC member Purna Kumar Sherma Limbu was elected from Constituency-1, Panchthar. He has been active in NC politics for the last four decades. He became a member of the Upper House after the parliamentary elections of 1991. He lost in the 1996 parliamentary elections. Limbu, 65, is regarded as close to Koirala.
Dumbar Shrestha
He is from the Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Lennist). The 58-year-old is currently politburo member of the party. Elected to the CA under the Proportional Representative system, Shrestha has been involved in left politics for the last 40 years.
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