Top leaders of the two major ruling coalition partners – Nepali Congress and CPN-UML – held a discussion at the prime minister’s residence in Baluwatar on Thursday.
The meeting involved Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel, UML Deputy General Secretary Bishnu Rimal, NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba, NC Vice-president Purna Bahadur Khadka, and Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak.
Attorney General Ramesh Badal also attended the meeting.
The main agenda of the meeting was the issue related to the Bagmati provincial government. Five ministers from the NC have resigned from their posts, while Chief Minister Bahadur Singh Lama appointed three new ministers on Wednesday. However, the new ministers’ oath-taking has not taken place as the province chief traveled to Kathmandu after falling ill.
Additionally, the leadership of the NC parliamentary party in Bagmati has changed.
Lawmaker Indra Bahadur Baniya, who is also the NC’s provincial president, defeated Chief Minister Lama in the election held on Wednesday to become the parliamentary party leader.
The NC has 37 lawmakers in the 110-member Bagmati provincial assembly. In the election for parliamentary party leader held on Wednesday, Baniya secured 22 votes, Lama received 14, and one vote was declared invalid.
Although Baniya has been elected parliamentary party leader, it remains unclear whether he will become the chief minister.
Lama has refused to resign as chief minister, insisting that despite losing the parliamentary party leadership, he faces no legal barrier to continue as chief minister. However, Baniya has said that if Lama does not resign, he will be removed through legal processes.
Following the change in the parliamentary party leadership in Bagmati, NC President Deuba held discussions with Prime Minister and UML Chairman Oli and other leaders on this matter.
The government in Bagmati is led by the NC with the support of UML, which has 27 lawmakers. If Chief Minister Lama does not resign, UML may withdraw its support, forcing Lama to seek a vote of confidence in the provincial assembly. If he secures the vote, he will continue as chief minister; if not, he will be removed, paving the way for Baniya to become chief minister.
As Baniya has been elected parliamentary party leader, NC President Deuba appears to be pushing for him to become chief minister, which is why he discussed the issue with PM Oli. Deuba had previously advised Chief Minister Lama to resign after losing the parliamentary party leadership, but Lama refused.
Deuba told PM Oli that the Bagmati issue was an internal matter of the NC and that they would resolve it themselves.
“A new parliamentary party leader has been elected in Bagmati. This is our internal matter, and we will settle it,” an NC leader quoted Deuba as saying at the meeting. “However, since there is a coalition government there, the UML’s support is needed.”
PM Oli assured that the UML would support the NC’s decision in Bagmati.
NC Vice-president Purna Bahadur Khadka, who participated in the discussion, said the conversation covered the overall situation in Bagmati.
“We discussed the Bagmati issue in detail. We put forth our views, and said we will resolve this matter ourselves, with your continued support,” Khadka told Setopati.
He added that the discussion also focused on making the federal government’s operations more effective.
“We talked about making the government’s work more effective. As bills are under discussion in committees, we agreed to hold more meetings and discussions to expedite the passage of these bills,” he said.
Earlier on Thursday, UML Bagmati province in-charge Rajan Bhattarai, Bagmati chairman Kailash Dhungel, and other leaders met PM Oli and inquired about the issue regarding Bagmati.
In response, Oli said he would meet NC President Deuba and inform them afterward.
There was also speculation that Thursday’s meeting at Baluwatar would discuss a federal Cabinet reshuffle, but participants of the meeting said that the topic was not raised.
PM Oli is considering reshuffling some UML ministers in the government. But his secretariat clarified that no such discussion took place in Thursday’s meeting.
According to the prime minister’s secretariat, Attorney General Badal was invited to discuss amendments to some laws and bills.
