PM Oli’s plan to axe underperforming ministers hits NC wall

KATHMANDU, Aug 13: The planned cabinet reshuffle has been stalled after a key coalition partner, the Nepali Congress (NC), withheld its consent. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s move to reorganize the cabinet before the UML’s general convention and his upcoming India visit has been halted due to NC’s resistance.

According to sources, NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba, in a recent meeting with PM Oli, expressed reservations about an immediate reshuffle.

PM Oli is reportedly planning to remove some underperforming and controversial ministers and restructure the cabinet. Sources close to the PM’s Secretariat said discussions on the matter were held two days ago with Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, and others.

The current cabinet includes members from UML, NC, Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP), Loktantrik Samajwadi Party (LSP), and Nagarik Unmukti Party (NUP). While the PM intends to replace several senior ministers with new faces, internal politics within the NC has complicated the process. “The NC is currently unwilling to remove its ministers. The Prime Minister had wanted to make changes two weeks ago,” said a source familiar with the matter.

Following the resignation of Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration (MoFAGA) Rajkumar Gupta over a bribery scandal, UML’s Bhagwati Neupane has already been appointed to the vacant post. According to a leader close to PM Oli, there are also plans to remove JSP’s Minister for Women, Children, and Senior Citizens (MoWCSC) Nawalkishor Sah Sudi.

The LSP plans to recall Minister for Labor, Employment, and Social Security (MoLESS) Sharad Singh Bhandari and nominate another leader. JSP has yet to finalize Sudi’s replacement, though lobbying is underway to appoint Ranju Jha. JSP had requested the PM two months ago to replace two of its ministers, while the LSP is also pressuring for changes. Top leaders of NC and UML are holding separate discussions on the matter.

Several ministers with weak performance records have been placed in the “red zone.” Apart from DPM and Finance Minister Paudel and Minister for Communications and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung (both from UML), most UML ministers are likely to be recalled. Recently appointed Minister for Education, Science, and Technology Raghuji Pant and MoFAGA Neupane are considered safe for now. “Preliminary discussions have progressed with plans to replace almost everyone except a few. After PM Oli returned from Spain, he met with Congress President Deuba, but no decision was reached. NC has not proposed new names for the reshuffle and appears unable to decide due to internal conflicts,” said one minister.

Rajendra Gautam, head of UML’s Publicity Department, said cabinet reshuffles are within the PM’s prerogative. “The reshuffling of cabinet members falls under the Prime Minister’s jurisdiction. Consultations with coalition partners are likely ongoing,” he said.

The NC currently holds 10 ministerial posts in the government led by DPM and Urban Development Minister Prakashman Singh. Other NC ministers include Ramesh Lekhak (MoHA), Arju Rana Deuba (Foreign Affairs), Pradeep Paudel (Health and Population), Badri Prasad Pandey (Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation), Ramnath Adhikari (Agriculture and Livestock Development), Tejulal Chaudhary (Youth and Sports), Ajay Kumar Chaurasiya (Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs), Deepak Khadka (Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation), and Ain Bahadur Shahi Thakuri (Forest and Environment). Several of these ministries—MoHA, MoCTCA, MoALD, MoLJPA, and MoEWRI—have faced controversies.

From UML, the PM and eight ministers are in the cabinet: Bishnu Paudel (Finance), Prithvi Subba Gurung (MoCIT), Balram Adhikari (Land Management, Cooperatives, and Poverty Alleviation), Damodar Bhandari (Industry, Commerce, and Supplies), Devendra Dahal (Physical Infrastructure and Transport), Raghuji Pant (Education, Science, and Technology), Manvir Rai (Defence), and Bhagwati Neupane (MoFAGA). The PM is reportedly dissatisfied with some UML ministers’ performance.

From JSP, Pradeep Yadav serves as Minister for Water Supply, and Sudi is MoWCSC. The LSP is represented by Bhandari as Labor Minister, while NUP’s Arun Kumar Chaudhary is State Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation.