Party entrusts PM Dahal to pick ministers

KATHMANDU, Aug 9: CPN (Maoist Center) has entrusted Pushpa Kamal Dahal, party chairman and current prime minister, with the task of finalizing the names for ministerial posts from the party. A meeting held at the Maoist headquarters on Tuesday failed to pick the names and the party leaders asked Dahal to appoint the new ministers as per his comfort. 

Maoist Center leaders have said that Dahal is likely to appoint five new ministers from the party either on Wednesday or Thursday. The Maoists have been allocated nine ministries in the power-sharing deal with another major ruling coalition partner Nepali Congress. The party has already appointed three of its leaders as ministers.

According to party leaders, Dahal has proposed appointing Janardan Sharma as minister for energy, Prabhu Sah as law and justice minister, Hitraj Pandey as local development and federal affairs minister, Ram Karki as information and communication minister and Dhaniram Paudel as education minister. 

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Sah has been refusing to take the Law and Justice Ministry portfolio arguing that he had led the same ministry in the past. “He wants local development ministry this time. If he doesn’t get it, he is unlikely to join the cabinet,” said a party leader.

The party has not proposed any woman leader as minister. A party leader present at the meeting said that three women leaders are being mulled to join the government as state ministers.  

The woman leaders are likely to be from indigenous, ethnic, Madhesi and Dalit communities. 

“We have asked the party chairman to consider the inclusive representation while appointing new ministers,” said Maoist Center Spokesperson Pampha Bhusal. 

According to Bhusal the party will not repeat any ministers from the previous cabinet. 

Earlier, party leaders were considering picking few leaders who had held ministerial berths in the previous government: Giriraj Mani Pokhrel, Agni Sapkota and Rekha Sharma. 

A party leader informed that the party is struggling to make ministerial appointment inclusive as around a dozen of lawmakers are facing charge of misusing their diplomatic passport.