HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE
KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal today designated party secretary Bishnu Paudel as defence minister and Gangalal Tuladhar education minister. Both were ministers without portfolio in the Khanal-led government.
A letter to this effect was dispatched to the Office of the President, Shital Niwas, immediately after a standing committee meeting of PM Khanal’s party, CPN-UML, at his official residence this evening. Officials at the Office of the President confirmed that PM Khanal designated Poudel and Tuladhar as defence and education ministers, respectively.
UML senior leader and former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, Vice Chairmen duo Bidhya Bhandari and Ashok Rai and standing committee member KP Oli were not present in the meeting. Poudel, who is also the party secretary, is close to Nepal and Oli and both of them had been insisting that Poudel should be given the home ministry as per party’s earlier decision.
PM has assured the Maoists home ministry later. Poudel could not be reached for comments despite several attempts. UML secretary Shankar Pokharel, however, said no decision was taken at today’s standing committee meeting regarding Poudel and Tuladhar’s portfolios, as senior leaders were out of the capital.
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