By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS
Kathmandu : Within 24 hours of voting in favour of abolishing monarchy and turning Nepal into a republic, the Maoist guerrillas Saturday sought to consolidate their gains by returning to the government with more men.
Rebel supremo Prachanda Saturday met Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to hand over a list of new ministers his party has named.
The former guerrillas, who had joined the coalition government on April 1 this year with five ministers but quit in September to press their demand for immediate abolition of monarchy, are now ready to return with two more ministers.
Former information and communications minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara, who is also the leader of the Maoists’ parliamentary party, will lead the rebel team this time too, retaining his powerful portfolio which makes him the spokesman of the government.
The Maoists are retaining three more former ministers.
Hisila Yami, who headed the physical planning and works ministry, Matrika Prasad Yadav, who was forest and soil conservation minister, and local development minister Dev Gurung will retain their portfolios, according to the list.
Only Khadga Bahadur Bishwokarma, who headed the women, children and social welfare ministry, is not returning.
His place has been given to influential woman leader Pampa Bhushal, whom the Maoists earlier fielded for the post of ambassador of Nepal.
She could not be appointed ambassador as France withheld its approval, following the uncertainty about the status of the Maoists when they quit the government and announced they would oppose the constituent assembly elections.
The other two new faces are Nabin Singh Bishwokarma and Padam Rai, who have been named ministers of state.
Bishwokarma, who represents the marginalized Dalit community, still considered untouchable though Nepal’s parliament abolished untouchability, will probably be Bhushal’s deputy in the same ministry while Rai is likely to get physical planning and works.
The move to return to the government comes after the Maoists obtained their flesh of pound Friday when parliament voted overwhelmingly for their demand to oust King Gyanendra.
Koirala himself, who was earlier opposing the Maoist demand, finally gave in and made a rare appearance in parliament to vote for the demand.
Out of 321 legislators, 270 assented to the abolition of monarchy and only three dissented. The rest were either absent or abstained.
Though Nepal’s new constitution, amended for a record third time Friday, proclaimed Nepal a federal democratic republic from a kingdom, the king will be formally stripped of his crown and asked to leave the royal palace only after April, when the constituent assembly elections are held.
The parties have agreed to hold the elections by mid-April and the elected assembly, at its first meeting, will seal the embattled king’s fate.
There is still uncertainty as to what will happen if the election favours the king and wants to retain the country’s 238-year-old monarchy.
The Maoists, however, say that the assembly will not have the power to overturn the parliamentary proclamation. It can only endorse it.
It was not known immediately when the Maoist ministers would be sworn in.
Party sources said the ball was now in the prime minister’s court.