TIKA R PRADHAN
KATHMANDU: The Unified CPN-Maoist, a key ally of the Jhala Nath Khanal-led government, is preparing to reshuffle its members in the Cabinet, in a move party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal seems to be taking to assuage his deputies Mohan Baidhya and Baburam Bhattarai.
It is expected that Vice-chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha will lead the party in the government as deputy prime minister and minister for information and communications.
Sources close to Dahal today claimed that the chairman was preparing to call back all the ministers representing the party, save Prabhu Sah, and send a whole set of a new team in the government.
Prabhu Sah, who is minister for law and justice, will retain his portfolio.
The move comes at a time when Vice-chairmen duo Baidhya and Bhattarai have been pressing Dahal for proper work division in the party besides making the government proportional and inclusive.
“Dahal will propose his work division plan at the central committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday,” said a politburo member close to Dahal.
According to Dahal’s proposal, Barshaman Pun will replace party Secretary Post Bahadur Bogati as chief whip of the Parliamentary Party. Another Secretary CP Gajurel will replace Vice-chairman Shrestha as deputy leader of the PP and Vice-chairman Baburam Bhattarai will replace Shrestha as the in-charge of Parliamentary Board of the party.
Chairman Dahal is also preparing to propose General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa as the chief of the party’s military commission and Baidhya as the head of the party’s organisation department.
Source, however, claimed that Dahal was still undecided who should replace Jayapuri Gharti as the whip of the PP.
According to senior leaders close to the establishment, the Baidhya-Bhattarai camp is likely to agree on the chairman’s proposal, as he has reportedly proposed Bhattarai as the next official candidate for the post of prime minister and allocated major responsibilities for the leaders of the Baidhya faction. However, a final decision on work division based on Dahal’s proposal will be taken during the meeting of the office bearers to be held tomorrow morning.
The CC meeting scheduled for today morning, however, was put off after Baidhya and Bhattarai sat tight on their demands that Dahal first take a concrete decision on work division.
New cast of characters
Narayan Kaji Shrestha DPM and Minister for Information and Communications
Post Bahadur Bogati Home Minister
Dev Prasad Gurung Minister for Physical Planning and Works
Pampha Bhusal Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare
Lokendra Bista Minister for Health and Population
Devendra Poudel Minister for Peace and Reconstruction
Jayapuri Gharti Minister for Supplies
Lekhraj Bhatta Minister for industry
Onsari Gharti Minister for Youth and Sports
Hisila Yami Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation
Mahendra Paswan Minister for Land Reforms
(Published in The Himalayan Times on July 19, 2011)
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