Biratnagar, September 12
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who has been criticised for forming the biggest-ever Cabinet, says he was forced to do so as he was in a tight spot.
The Prime Minister, who was just yesterday reprimanded by the Election Commission for breaching its code of conduct ahead of polls, said he expanded his Cabinet after consulting the constitutional body.
The Cabinet is now 54-member strong.
Speaking to mediapersons in Biratnagar, Deuba said it would have been difficult for his government to function if he had not inducted the ministers to his Cabinet. As the expansion was part of an ‘ongoing work’ it is beyond the ambit of election code of conduct, the Prime Minister said.
Asked why he keeps breaking the record, Deuba said, “There are times when it becomes difficult for the government to move ahead, and it is common for the Cabinet to be expanded.”
Deuba said that his party the Nepali Congress will emerge as the biggest party in Province 2, where third round of local elections are taking place on September 18. The Nepali Congress has a large support base in the Terai and the Terai is Province 2, he added.
