Prachanda expands Nepal cabinet, CPN-UML joins government

Shirish B Pradhan
Kathmandu, Aug 31 (PTI) Nepal's first post-monarchy cabinet was expanded Sunday with the induction of 15 new Ministers, including six from a major Communist party in the Maoist-led coalition that joined the government after differences over miniasterial hierarchy were resolved.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' inducted six Ministers each from Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (C.P.N.-M), Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (C.P.N.-U.M.L.), also giving three berths to smaller coalition partners. With this, the strength of the ministry reached 24.

Senior U.M.L. leader Bam Dev Gautam has been appointed as
the Home Minister, the second-ranking portfolio, while the
others from the party to join the cabinet were Minister for
Water Resources Bishnu Poudyal, Local Development Minister
Ramchandra Jha, Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation
Kiran Gurung, Minister for Industry Ashta Laxmi Shakya and
Minister for Youth and Sports Gopal Shakya.

The C.P.N.-U.M.L., the third largest party in the
Constituent Assembly, had boycotted the oath-taking ceremony
of the new cabinet on August 22 after the Maoists rejected
their demand that Gautam's Home Ministry will have the second
position according to seniority.

The Maoists were insisting that the Finance Ministry,
which remains with the party, will be the number two post in
the cabinet.

The cabinet expansion and resolution of differences with
C.P.N.-U.M.L. consolidates the Maoists' hold on power. The
former rebels emerged as the single largest party in the
landmark April 10 Constituent Assembly elections.

Earlier, the cabinet meeting headed by Prachanda Sunday
decided to add three new ministries -- Commerce and Supplies,
Youth and Sports and Culture and State Restructuring -- mainly
in order to accommodate smaller political parties.

Four ministers from C.P.N. (Maoist) and Madhesi People's
Rights Forum had earlier taken oath. With the new inductions,
the Maoists will have 10 ministers in the cabinet.

The new Maoist Ministers are Hisila Yami (Tourism and
Civil Aviation), Matrika Yadav (Land Reforms), Pampha Bhushal,
(General Administration), Gopal Kirati (Culture and State
Restructuring), Lekh Raj Bhatta (Labour) and Janardan Sharma
(Peace and Reconstruction).

Interestingly, in the newly-expanded cabinet, Finance
Minister Baburam Bhattarai and Tourism Minister Hisila Yami,
both belonging to the C.P.N.-Maoist, are husband and wife.
Hisila is the daughter of Dharma Ratna Yami, who was deputy
forest minister during the direct rule of King Tribhuvan, the
grandfather of now-deposed monarch Gyanendra, in 1952.

Other inductees were Minister for Commerce and Supplies
Rajendra Mahato from Sadbhavana Party, Science and Technology
Minister Ganesh Shah from C.P.N.-United and Minister for
Health Giriraj Mani Pokharel from Janamorcha Nepal.

The Ministers were sworn in by Prachanda in Rashtrapati
Bhawan in the presence of President Ram Baran Yadav.

However, as the authorities did not allow journalists,
including the television crew, to enter the main gate of the
Rashtrapati Bhawan during oath-taking ceremony, they boycotted
the reporting of the event.

None of the Nepalese television channels covered the
swearing-in ceremony. This was for the first time since
democracy was restored in 1990 that journalists boycotted the
oath-taking of the ministers. PTI