Posts Tagged ‘Kumar Gachchhadar’

PM-elect discusses cabinet formation with Koirala

Sunday, May 24th, 2009

Prime Minister Madhav-elect Kumar Nepal met Nepali Congress president Girija Prasad Koirala to discuss issues related to the composition of the new cabinet including formation of a high-level joint mechanism, distribution of ministerial berths, the common minimum programme and policy and programmes of the new government.

PM Nepal met with NC president Koirala Sunday afternoon at the latter’s residence, Maharajgunj. Nepal is learnt to have offered Koirala to chair the joint-mechanism of parties to run the government. Parties have intensified discussions for distribution of ministries and selection of their leaders to represent in the government after the legislature parliament elected Nepal as the new Prime Minister of Nepal on Saturday.

NC leaders met at the party president’s residence Sunday morning and urged UML to initiate the process of government formation. The party has neither selected a person to lead its team in the government nor finalised the

names of ministers.

Sher Bahadur Deuba faction is supporting Prakash Man Singh while Sushil Koirala faction wants Kul Bahadur Gurung to lead the party’s team in the government. Ram Chandra Poudel is likely to lead the party’s team as his leadership is acceptable to both factions.

Leaders likely to be included in the cabinet are Ram Chandra Poudel, Prakash Man Singh, Bimalendra Nidhi, Kul Bahadur Gurung, Binaya Dhwaj Chand, Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat, Dr Shekhar Koirala, Purna Kumar Serma and Nabindra Raj Joshi.

UML standing committee also met this morning and formed a committee headed by party chairman Jhala Nath Khanal to coordinate and hold talks with other parties participating in the government.

The talks committee which includes Shankar Pokhrel, KP Oli, Surendra Pande, Raghuji Pant, Bidhya Bhandari and Ishwor Pokhrel has already started informal consultations with other parties.

Nepali Congress, CPN (UML) and Madheshi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) have agreed to take one ministry each out of home, water resources and finance ministries, it is learnt.

Although, Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar was seen likely to lead the MJF team in the government till Saturday, the intra-party dispute is mounting with party chairman Upendra Yadav showing interest to lead the party in the new government.

It will take a few more days for the cabinet to get its final shape. The complete cabinet is likely to have more than 30 ministers with assistant and state ministers.

The coalition leader UML is striving to form a cabinet including at least one representative from each of the participating parties before newly elected PM Nepal is sworn in Monday morning.

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UML-led quartet still eyes MJF support

Saturday, May 16th, 2009

A meeting of the four parties of a proposed ruling alliance – CPN (UML), Nepali Congress, Terai Madhesi Loktantrik Party (TMLP) and Sadbhawana Party (SP) — on Saturday decided to hold discussions with Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) leadership to bring it into their fold.

The meeting held at UML parliamentary party office in Singha Durbar ended with the conclusion that formation of a UML-led government could be delayed by few more days with the MJF not making its position clear.

NC leader Prakash Saran Mahat, who participated in the meeting, said the four-party leaders will meet MJF leadership to convince it over the issues it has raised, including clear commitment to implement the past agreement with the United Democratic Madhesi Front.

Mahat said majority for the UML-led government has already been secured, but MJF’s support would still be crucial for the government.

After getting green signals from the Maoists, MJF’s central committee meeting had on Thursday decided to stake claim for the leadership of the next government, but there was the next day with more than half of MJF lawmakers speaking against the CC decision.

MJF chairman Upendra Yadav and vice chairman J.P Gupta are opposed to NC-UML combine’s efforts to form new government under the premiership of Madhav Kumar Nepal while head of the parliamentary party, Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar, is in favour joining such a coalition.

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MK Nepal meets Dahal to rally support for UML-led govt

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

Amidst heavy political exercise for new government formation, a meeting has taken place between Caretaker Prime Minister and Unified CPN (Maoist) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and senior UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal at the Ministerial quarters in Pulchowk Wednesday.

The meeting between the two leaders is significant as Dahal has again set out to form a new government under Maoist leadership only a little over a week after the party resigned from the government while Nepal has been proposed for the new prime minister by the UML-Nepali Congress combo who are ever so confident to lead the next government.

Although both rival camps are holding intense political parleys, mainly with Madhesi political parties, to garner support for their respective alliances, the situation seems to favor the UML-NC led alliance, as Terai Madhesh Democratic Party (TMDP), Sadbhawana Party (SP) and Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) – who together make the Unified Madhesi Democratic Front (UMDF) – have showed interest in supporting UML leadership in the next government.

Perhaps sensing this possibility, sources having access to the meeting said Dahal had in response to MK Nepal’s request to support his candidacy for the post of prime minister categorically asserted that the President needs to first correct his move reinstating the Army chief then “he can think about it”.

Dahal’s deputy Dr Baburam Bhattarai was also present at the meeting

Earlier, Dahal had met former home minister and UML leader Bam Dev Gautam who has become a virtual pariah inside his own party since he objected to the party’s decision to pull out of the Maoist-led government over the Army-chief row.

Gautam rushing to Baluwatar to hold discussion with the caretaker PM when his party is engaged in efforts to form a new government under its leadership has been viewed very meaningfully by political observers.

Maoist chairman Dahal also held discussion with MJF leaders at his official residence today morning and proposed a new alliance between the two parties for new government formation.

MJF leader Sharad Singh Bhandari told a local radio station that the party will extend its support to that alliance which guarantees implementation of the eight points agreements reached with UMDF.

With 54 lawmakers in the 601 member Constituent Assembly, MJF has a key

role to play in the formation of new government.

However, in reality MJF is also clearly divided on whom to support for the next government, with majority of its lawmakers including parliamentary party leader Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar have made up their mind to support the UML leadership in the new government while 15 lawmakers, including MJF chairman Upendra Yadav and co-chairman Jaya Prakash Prasad Gupta, are for supporting the Maoist leadership in the next government.

The party is holding emergency meeting now to come up with a final decision on whom to support for the next government. The party is also holding meetings with UML-NC alliance later today to discuss the assurances given by the latter on the implementation of Madheshi demands.

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Govt announces cabinet decisions to meet Tharu demands

Monday, March 9th, 2009

The cabinet meeting on Monday has made various decisions to address the demands of the agitating Tharu community and reiterated the call for a dialogue.

Peace and reconstruction minister Janardan Sharma ‘Prabhakar’ organised a press meet at his office Monday evening to make the cabinet decisions public after the government’s day-long effort to convince the Tharu leaders to sit for dialogue failed.

Earlier, the ministers had said the decisions would be made public by the Prime Minister after formal talks with the agitating parties.

Minister Sharma said, the government is ready to accept the independent identity of various ethnic communities and will enlist them as indigenous groups. A committee will be formed to make suggestions for the amendment of the ordinance on reservation which enlists various ethnic communities of the Terai as Madhesis. The committee will submit its recommendations within 15 days.

Tharu leaders have denied the call for dialogues saying that there will be no formal talks until the ordinance is annulled.

The government has also addressed other demands of the agitating Tharus. “The meeting of the Council of Ministers has declared Kamal Chaudhari and Bipin Chhetri, killed in Chitwan during Tharu agitation as Martyrs and decided to provide appropriate compensation to the family of the deceased,” announced minister Sharma. “The meeting has instructed the home ministry to release those arrested in connection with the agitation and decided to provide treatment free of charge to those injured in the agitation.

Several rounds of informal talks were held on Monday to create environment for the dialogue. The cabinet designated Minister for Physical Planning and Works Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar, who himself is a member of the Tharu community, to bring the agitators to dialogue.

In response to his call for dialogues, the Tharu leaders-speaking at a gathering in the capital- called Gachchhadar to join their agitation instead.

The eighth day of the Tharu agitation crippled life in various Terai districts. The hilly districts and the capital are also hit with the shortage of provisions and fuel due to the blockade of transportation. nepalnews.

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MPRF faction miffed at nominations

Saturday, August 23rd, 2008

BY KOSH RAJ KOIRALA

KATHMANDU, Aug 23 – Majority of central leaders of Madhesi People’s Rights Forum (MPRF) have expressed strong dissatisfaction over the party’s nomination of ministers.Many leaders argue that the nomination has failed to be inclusive in terms of caste, gender, religion and geographical areas.

Dissenting MPRF Constituent Assembly (CA) members have called a meeting on Saturday to discuss the issue.

“Three of the four nominated ministers are old faces and they haven’t contributed in any way to MPRF,” said a central committee member preferring anonymity.

The party has nominated its Chairman Upendra Yadav as Foreign, Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar as Physical Planning and Works, Jaya Prakash Gupta as Agriculture and Renu Yadav as Education ministers respectively. Gachchhadar and Gupta had defected from Nepali Congress and joined MPRF, while Renu Yadav was originally from Rastriya Janashakti Party.

The decision comes even as an overwhelming majority of the 30-member central committee had advised the party’s Political Committee to nominate only new faces for ministers. The Political Committee was formed after the recent Central Committee meeting to nominate the party’s representatives for ministers. Interestingly, Gachchhadar, Renu Yadav and Gupta were appointed in the seven-member Political Committee as they had assured they wouldn’t join the government.

The central leader said party Chairman Yadav argued that he nominated ‘old faces’ since they were ‘experienced.’ “When can we ever gain experience if we are deprived of the opportunity,” the leader questioned.

Majority of central leaders have strongly opposed Renu Yadav’s nomination.

They charge that the party leadership ignored better candidates from marginalized castes like Karima Begam, Sandhya Devi and Nilam Barma. Begam is the only Muslim woman elected as CA member.

Another central leader said the party’s decision is a great injustice to those who fought for the cause of Madhes and Madhesi people’s rights from the beginning. “The recent decision has shattered hope that MPRF would ensure inclusiveness and work for the cause of marginalized Madhesis,” he said.

He charged that the MPRF is on the way to making the party a group of Yadavs and its coteries.

The leaders have charged that the party leadership failed miserably to strike a balance in terms of geographical representation. All the ministers including Vice President Paramananda Jha hail from Sunsari and Saptari districts. “It gives an impression that MPRF is a party just limited to these two districts,” said the central leader.

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