Only four Maoist ministers sworn in

REPUBLICA

KATHMANDU, March 5: A month after his election to the helm, Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal finally expanded his four-member cabinet Friday, bringing on board four ministers from the larger coalition partner, UCPN (Maoist).

Khanal administered oath of office and secrecy to Krishna Bahadur Mahara as deputy prime minister and information and communications minister, Barshaman Pun as peace and reconstruction minister, Top Bahadur Rayamajhi as minister for physical planning and works and Khadga Bahadur Bishwakarma as minister for tourism and civil aviation.

Earlier, only three leaders from the UML -- Bharat Mohan Adhikari, Bishnu Paudel and Gangalal Tuladhar -- were in the cabinet, apart from Khanal himself. Adhikari was appointed deputy prime minister and minister for finance but Paudel and Tuladhar are still without portfolio.

Though the UCPN (Maoist) is to send 11 members into the cabinet, the party leadership could nominate only four, due to factional feuds within the party.

Feuding over nominations

The Standing Committee meeting on Friday was to nominate all 11 party leaders for ministerial berths, but the meeting could garner consensus only on four of them due to disputes among the factions led by Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Senior Vice-chairman Mohan Baidya and Vice-chairman Dr Babauram Bhattarai respectively.

Among the four Maoist ministers nominated, Mahara and Pun are close to Dahal, Rayamajhi is close to Bhattarai, and Bishwakarma, close Baidya.

There was serious dispute over the home ministry as Pun from the Dahal camp and Dev Gurung from the Baidya camp staked claim to the post.

On Friday morning, Dahal agreed to nominate Gurung as home minister, but only after the prime minister offers the post to the party. He nominated Pun as minister for peace and reconstruction, and Gurung then claimed the ministry of physical planning and works, but to no avail.

"The chairman had already agreed to give the ministry to Rayamajhi of the Bhattarai camp," said a Maoist source.

During the meeting, Dahal said he would nominate other ministers after the government formulates a roadmap for peace and the prime minister gives the Maoists the home ministry. "The chairman stated that things will take shape in three weeks, and the party would join the government in full-fledged manner. Otherwise, we will pull out of the government," said a senior leader close to Baidya.

The proposed nomination of Girirajmani Pokharel as health minister was cancelled after Amik Sherchan opposed it saying Pokharel had already become a minister. "Now the possibility of Lilamani Pokharel becoming the minister has increased," said one leader.

Among other proposed names, Mahendra Pashwan, Jayapuri Gharti Magar and Dev Gurung are from the Baidya camp, Prabhu Shah and Dinanath Sharma from the Bhattarai camp, and Agni Sapkota, RC Chaudhary, and Sarat Singh Bhandari are from Dahal´s camp.

According to leaders, the party has decided to send only lawmakers into the government.

No portfolios yet for UML ministers

The prime minister could not allocate portfolios to Ministers Bishnu Paudel and Gangalal Tuladhar.

Those close to Khanal said he will give them portfolios within a couple of days.
"He will focus on nomination of ministers from within the UML," said UML leader Ghanshyam Bhusal, who is working closely with the prime minister. Paudel, who earlier staked his claim to the home ministry, is likely to become energy minister.

Leaders close to Khanal said though the prime minister offered Paudel local development, he prefers the energy ministry. Earlier, he insisted that the ministries of energy and irrigation be merged into the ministry of water resources as before and be given to him.

Khanal´s aides said the prime minister will try to give final shape to the cabinet in a week or two.

After wrangling between the UCPN (Maoist) and UML for a month over the home ministry, the prime minister has decided to keep security-related portfolios for himself.