Kathmandu, September 1
Ruling Nepal Communist Party’s vice-chairman Bamdev Gautam has demanded that the government immediately implement a six-month-old decision of the party secretariat about nominating him for a National Assembly member.
Gautam’s statement comes at a time when media reports say the party chairman, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, wants to repeat incumbent Finance Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada in the vacant position in the Upper House.
“But, no one can deviate from the party decision. It has to be implemented,” Gautam tells Onlinekhabar in a brief interview, “Following that decision, no other decision has been made about this issue, replacing it. Hence, The decision is still valid.”
As per the constitution, three members of the 59-member house are nominated by the president upon a recommendation from the government. One of the positions held by Khatiwada had turned vacant on March 3 as his two-year term had finished. Days before the vacancy, the party had told the government to replace Khatiwada by Gautam, but Oli did not heed owing to an internal dispute in the party.
Khatiwada had resigned from the position of finance minister on his last day in the house, but he was appointed the minister again as the constitution allows the PM to have someone outside the Federal Parliament also as a minister provided the person gets the parliament’s membership in six months. If Khatiwada is not reappointed to the Upper House in the next four days, he is certain to lose the ministerial position also.
