Prime Minister (PM) Sushila Karki has defended former ministers of the interim government who resigned from their posts to contest the upcoming elections.
Amidst ongoing criticism regarding ministers from the interim government becoming electoral candidates, PM Karki speaking in the National Assembly Monday stressed that these individuals were initially appointed due to pressure from Gen-Z and have now been relieved of their duties to pursue active politics.
Kulman Ghising, Mahabir Pun, Jagadish Kharel, and Bablu Gupta recently resigned from the Cabinet to file their candidacies forcontest the March 5 elections. Specifically, Ghising has formed Ujyalo Nepal Party, Pun is running as an independent candidate, while JKharel and Gupta joined Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) to contest the polls.
"There was immense pressure on us to bring Gen-Z representatives into the Cabinet. They proposed names like Mahabir Pun and Kulman Ghising, and it was a situation where we had to agree," PM Karki said. She explained that while many names were suggested, only a few were brought into the Cabinet.
She noted that these individuals were initially reluctant to accept the positions, but pressure from the Gen-Z Movement to include Ghishing, Pun, and Kharel was overwhelming.
PM Karki further revealed that she personally requested them to join the Cabinet because of this pressure. She mentioned that she had pleaded with them to serve for as long as they could. Regarding Gupta, she clarified that his name also came from the Gen-Z Movement. She emphasized that the government was aware these were popular figures who might eventually enter politics.
She stated that the administration had told them that it would be dishonest to contest elections while holding office but they were free to resign and pursue politics whenever they chose.
PM Karki also noted that Sudan Gurung had personally accompanied Pun during his induction. Defending the younger candidates like Kharel and Gupta, she argued that they should not be blamed for exercising their right to enter politics and insisted they have not acted dishonestly.
She reiterated that the Gen-Z Movement had demanded their appointment with the condition that they could leave whenever they wished. According to Karki, they have now departed, are no longer in contact with the government, and have made no further demands while focusing on their election campaigns.
However, she noted that Pun departed on a frustrated note, mentioning that the government was unable to draft several laws he had requested. She concluded by pointing out that the former ministers have dispersed into different political paths, with only two joining RSP rather than all moving to a single party.
