KATMANDU, Sept 25: Nepal Loktantrik Forum (NLF) has decided to recall two of its ministers-Tourism Minister Jitendra Narayan Dev and Land Reforms Minister Gopal Dahit-- from the Sher Bahadur Deuba-led Cabinet.
The exact reason behind the recall remains unknown. Tourism Minister Dev has been dragged into controversies in recent days following his attempt to remove Sanjiv Gautam, director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN). The attempt, according to a civil aviation official, was aimed at benefitting a section of business community and a Spanish contractor company, Constructora Sanjose SA.
NLF's General Secretary Ram Janam Chaudhary said both the ministers will be replaced soon after Dashain. “The party has already decided to replace them. We were preparing to recall them before Dashain but it could not happen due to the absence of the prime minister. They will be replaced soon after the PM arrives,” said Chaudhary.
Prime Minister Deuba, who is currently in the USA for the United Nations General Assembly, is supposed to return to Nepal before Dashain.
Asked about the reason behind replacing the party's ministers, General Secretary Chaudhary said the decision was taken long ago to rotate ministerial portfolios among the party leaders. “We had made an understanding to rotate party's ministers in every four months. Their terms have completed and new party leaders will join the Cabinet.”
Minister Dev's bid to remove DG Gautam had sparked controversy in the aviation sector. Aviation officials had argued that the move would likely benefit the Spanish firm which has been blacklisted by the government after a CAAN board meeting terminated its contract for the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) Improvement Project. The contract termination has resulted in a legal battle over compensation claims and counter claims.
Dev has already started the process to remove CAAN DG Gautam, questioning him for, among other things, scrapping the contract of Constructora Sanjose.
The Spanish contractor was blacklisted by the Public Procurement Monitoring Unit at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers on July 12, banning the company from participating in any procurement and other business with public and government agencies in Nepal for two years.
While the Prime Minister's Office has blacklisted the Spanish contractor and CAAN is fighting a legal battle over a compensation claim in the TIA improvement project contract dispute, the minister is all out to remove DG Gautam.
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