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Formation of a Cabinet Under Prime Minister Prachanda
By KTM Metro reporter in Kathmandu
On the evening of Friday, August 22, 2008, Prime Minister Prachanda administered the oath of office and secrecy to eight ministers: four of the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist) and four of Madheshi People’s Rights Forum (MPRF) in the presence of the President at the official presidential residence called Sital-niwas, Kathmandu. Members of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist and Leninist (CPN-UML) did not participate in the swearing-in ceremony at the last moment on the pretext of the CPN-Maoist leaders did not follow the tradition of giving the second position in the Council of Ministers to the next largest party in the coalition government.
A team of the CPN-Maoist cabinet members comprises of Minister for Finance Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, Minister for Defense Ram Bahadur Thapa Badal, Minister for Information Krishna Bahadur Mahara, and Minister for Law Dev Gurung. A team of the MPRF cabinet members comprises of Minister for Foreign Affairs Upendra Yadav, Minister for Physical Planning and Works Bijaya Kumar Gacchedar, Minister for Agriculture Jayaprakash Prasad Gupta, Minister for Education Mrs. Renu Kumari Yadav.
A team of the CPN-UML proposed cabinet members led by former Deputy Prime Minister Bam Dev Gautam went to the presidential residence in the full traditional uniform to take the oath of office and secrecy but former Deputy Prime Minister Bam Dev Gautam did not find his position next to the Prime Minister. Then, General Secretary of CPN-UML Jhalanath Khanal instructed the CPN-UML team not to take the oath of office and secrecy, as the CPN-Maoist broke the tradition of giving the second position in the cabinet to the second largest party in the coalition government. Then, the parliamentary committee of the CPN-UML made a decision on not joining in the government if the CPN-UML did not get the second position in the cabinet.
At the same time, member of the central committee of CPN-UML and of the Constituent Assembly (CA) Bhim Rawal said in public that the CA members belonging to the CPN-UML and representing the far western Nepal did not agree with the proposed team of the CPN-UML led by Bam Dev Gautam to join the government, as it did not have the representation of the far western Nepal despite the policy of the CPN-UML on the inclusive representation; so, the elected members belonging to the CPN-UML and representing in the CA from the far western Nepal would resign from the positions of the CA members en mass if the CPN-UML leaders did not correct their decision on selecting the members of the CPN-UML for a new government in line with the policy of the CPN-UML.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Bam Dev Gautam lost the election for the CA seat in the election held on April 10, 2008. CPN-UML cadres have been opposing the nomination of any defeated candidates to the position of ministers. However, the CPN-UML leaders brushed the cadres off and nominated Bam Dev Gautam to the leader of the CPN-UML team on the Council of Ministers. Similarly, the CPN-UML leaders wanted to make former General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal defeated in the election for the CA seat in two constituencies the first President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal but could not succeed in this bid.
After the swearing-in ceremony, Prime Minister Prachanda speaking to the reporters said that the problem of not taking the oath by the CPN-UML proposed members of the cabinet was an unexpected one and he would sort this problem out after his return from China. Prime Minister Prachanda is flying to Beijing on the regular flight of the China Airlines on Saturday, August 23, 2008 and returning back to Nepal on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 on the regular flight of the Thai airlines after attending the closing ceremony of the Olympic Game and meeting with the high-level Chinese leaders.
Immediately after the swearing-in ceremony, the Council of Ministers held a meeting and endorsed all the three-party agreements signed by the CPN-Maoist, CPN-UML and MPRF leaders, appointed Minister for Finance Dr. Baburam Bhattarai to act as the Acting Prime Minister in absence of the Prime Minister and Minister for Information Krishna Bahadur Mahara to the position of the spokesperson for the Government.
