IN A dramatic development, Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ on Monday reshuffled the Cabinet after terminating a nearly 15-month partnership with the Nepali Congress due to major differences between the top leadership of the two parties. Prachanda formed a new alliance with former premier KP Sharma Oli’s party UML following which three Ministers took the oath of office and secrecy on Monday afternoon. Padam Giri from CPN-UML, Hit Bahadur Tamang from CPN (Maoist Center) and Dol Prasad Aryal from Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) took the oath of office and secrecy during the oath-taking ceremony held at the President’s Office, Sheetal Niwas. However, the newly-appointed Ministers have not been assigned portfolios.

 

The collective strength (142) of CPN-UML, Maoist, RSP and JSP is more than the minimum required no of 138 seats in the 275-member House. The alliance between the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) led by Prachanda and the Sher Bahadur Deuba-led Nepali Congress was terminated as the growing differences between the two top leaders reached a climax, a CPN-Maoist Centre party leader said.

 

“As (the) Nepali Congress did not cooperate with the Prime Minister, we are forced to look for (a) new alliance,” Ganesh Shah, Secretary of the CPN-Maoist, told PTI. Prachanda became the Prime Minister for the third term with the support of the Nepali Congress on December 25, 2022. After breaking the alliance with the Nepali Congress --the largest party in the House of Representatives-- Prachanda joined hands with the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist), led by Oli, who was regarded as Prachanda’s top critic. Last year, the CPN-UML withdrew its support to the Prachanda-led Government following a rift over backing the main Opposition party’s candidate for the presidential poll. The rift between the Maoist Centre and Nepali Congress grew after differences grew between Nepali Congress leader and Finance Minister Mahat and Prachanda over the issue of budget allocation to certain projects. The rift grew as Nepali Congress President Deuba wanted the party’s senior leader and newly elected lawmaker Krishna Sitaula to be made the Chairman of the National Assembly against Prachanda’s plan to appoint his party’s fellow to the key post.