Courting trouble

Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal’s government seems to be in for more trouble after expanding his cabinet on Wednesday for the third time in as many months. The cabinet expansion has deepened intra-party rifts in all the three major coalition partners— UCPN (Maoist), UML and MPRF. These fissures will weaken the coalition and stymie the government’s ability to function even as it faces a tough political climate ahead. This cabinet expansion is sure to create ripples in Prime Minister Khanal’s own party and he will have to face hostile party-committee meetings in the days to come. All the major party bodies—standing committee, politburo and central committee—had decided that the Maoists should not be given the home portfolio unless there was tangible progress in the peace process. And Khanal himself had reiterated that stance several times publicly; yet, on Wednesday he appointed Maoist leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara as Home Minister without any progress having been made in the peace process, and even more surprisingly, without consulting the top UML leaders or party bodies.



This cabinet expansion has further exposed Prime Minister Khanal’s leadership failings: He has more often than not wavered on the home ministry issue and the controversial seven-point agreement that he signed clandestinely with Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Khanal has become a leader who can neither persuade his party on what he thinks is right, nor implement the party’s decisions. Khanal has exposed himself to severe criticism in the party’s upcoming meetings, which can go to the extent of demanding his resignation. Sensing growing discontent in the party, Khanal has tried to defer the party politburo meeting slated for Thursday. Avoiding party meetings to save himself from possible criticism has become his hallmark but this has, and will, only weaken him further.



This cabinet expansion has also brought as much trouble to the UCPN (Maoist) and MPRF. Three newly appointed Maoist ministers belonging to the Mohan Baidya faction boycotted the oath-taking ceremony and have maintained that they will not join the cabinet. The Baidya faction, which was already feeling betrayed by Chairman Dahal after he dumped the party’s revolt line championed by it, now feels completely sidelined and humiliated as leaders belonging to it were given only nominal ministries. It’s completely plausible that the Baidya faction may harden its stance against this government. And as has increasingly become a trend among the Madhesi parties, the MPRF is headed for deep trouble following the cabinet expansion since lawmakers who didn’t get ministerial berths have already ganged up against the leadership. Result: This coalition has become decidedly weaker, even fragile, as it faces hostile opposition parties in parliament.

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