Khanal cabinet inducts 12 more from UML

KATHMANDU, April 11: As his efforts to give full shape to his over-two-month-old cabinet could not materialize, Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal inducted five full ministers and seven state ministers from his own party, expanding the eight-member cabinet for a third time, Monday.



The prime minister had waited for this expansion for long in the expectation that he would be able to give full shape to the cabinet by inducting ministers from the UCPN (Maoist), the Madhesi People´s Rights Forum (MPRF) and fringe parties. [break]



But he was compelled to induct only ministers from his own party on Monday as the largest ruling coalition partner UCPN (Maoist) and the prime minister have growing differences over implementation of their seven-point deal, the basis of the present coalition. Similarly, the way is still unclear for the MPRF to join the left-led government as the prime minister and MPRF Chairman Upendra Yadav are yet to reach a deal on power-sharing.



According to Surya Thapa, the prime minister´s press advisor, the newly appointed ministers are Bhanu Bhakta Jaishi (Minister for Forests and Soil Conservation), Raghubir Mahaseth (Irrigation), Urmila Aryal (Local Development), Gokarna Bista (Energy) and Yubraj Karki (General Administration).



Similarly, the prime minister also appointed seven state ministers from his party. They are Radha Gyawali, Shatrughna Mahato, Ramji Sharma, Dal Bahadur Sunar, Dambar Sambahamphe, Bhagawati Chaudhary and Dr Lharkyal Lama.



As Tuesday is a public holiday, the prime minister is to administer the oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers on Wednesday.



In an earlier cabinet expansion, the prime minister had appointed three ministers from his party and four from the Maoists. As per a power-sharing agreement between the prime minister and Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the prime minister´s party will get eight cabinet ministers while the Maoists party get 11 ministers. The Maoists are yet to name seven of the ministers from their party.



Meanwhile, Maoist spokesperson Dinanath Sharma said that the Maoists will hold a Standing Committee meeting tomorrow to decide when to send their ministers into the cabinet. "The delay is not because of us," he said, adding, "The UML has been opposing allocation of the home ministry to us".

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