By Review Nepal
Kathmandu, Nepal: Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar led Nepal Democratic Forum (NDF) has been inducted in the CPN Maoist Center chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal led government on Monday.
Prime Minister Dahal expanded his Cabinet inducting three ministers from the NDF in the mean time when there is a speculation that his led government is going to be replaced by the Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba led government rightly after the first phase of local level elections scheduled for May 14.
In the expanded cabinet, NDF chairman Gachhadar has sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Minister of Federal Affairs and Local Development.
President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy to all the newly inducted ministers amid a function organized at Sheetal Niwas on Monday evening.
Jitendra Dev, another influential leader of the NDF party, has been appointed as Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation while Gopal Dahit has been appointed as Minister for Land Reform and Management.
With the expansion, the Dahal led Cabinet now has reached 43 members including three DPM- Gachchhadar, Bimalendra Nidhi and Krishna Bahadur Mahara.
Gachchhadar has replaced Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) chairman Kamal Thapa, who had resigned from the post in the pretext of protesting the impeachment motion against of the Chief Justice (CJ) Sushila Karki.
During the sworn-in function, Vice-President Nanda Bahadur Pun, Prime Minister Dahal and heads of other constitutional bodies were also present.
Gachhadar is the well known figure in the government. He had served as the Deputy Prime Minister in the cabinets led by CPN MUL Chairman KP Sharma Oli, newly formed Naya Shakti Nepal party’s coordinator Baburam Bhattarai and and another UML leader Madhav Kumar.
Former Nepali Congress leader Gachchhadar has been preceding government posts with posh portfolios since early 1990s.
However, it is new ministerial test for Jitendra Dev as he has been appointed minister for the first time. He had been protesting the party Chairman Gachchhadar for unnecessarily clinching in the post.
It is expected that the differences, particularly the grievances of the Dev led dissident faction of the party would have resolved with the appointment of Dev as minister.
Dahit is already served the Ministerial post. He had served as an assistant minister in the Lokendra Bahadur Chand-led interim government appointed by former King Gyanendra Shah in 2002.
