By IANS,
Kathmandu : The rift in Nepal over the use of Hindi for official work continued to widen Wednesday with new ministers from a regional party taking their oath of office in that language as Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal expanded his cabinet for the sixth time.
Already accommodating 33 ministers, the coalition government, which includes 22 parties, Wednesday added nine more – two ministers, six ministers of state and an assistant minister.
Watched by President Ram Baran Yadav, the prime minister administered the oath of office and secrecy to two new entrants first, both of whom are from Terai parties that have been championing the use of Hindi for official work.
Laxman Lal Karna, a veteran politician from the Sadbhavana Party, who was sworn in without being allocated any ministry, took his oath in Hindi, saying it was his mother tongue. So did his party colleague Saroj Kumar Yadav, who was later sworn in as minister of state for commerce and supplies.
Sarbadeb Ojha, who was appointed minister for women, children and social welfare in a bid to pacify his Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (Loktantrik) party that split from the Forum this year after a bitter dispute about joining the government, wanted to take his oath in his mother tongue Awadhi.
However, since arrangements had not been made for that, he had to take the oath in Nepali.
In a second ceremony, Nepal inducted seven more ministers, most of whom are from Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (Loktantrik).
They are Shatrughana Prasad Singh Kohiri (minister of state culture and tourism), Sanjay Kumar Sah (physical planning and works), Karina Begum (agriculture and cooperatives), Ram Bachan Yadav (women, children and social welfare), and Kalawati Dushad (assistant minister, physical planning and works ministry).
Dushad alone took her oath in Bhojpuri.
The lone minister from a non-Terai party was Indra Prasad Dhungel (science and technology), who is from the formerly royalist Rastriya Janashakti Party.
Nepal remains sharply divided on the language issue. On Sunday, the first vice-president of the nascent republic was suspended from his post by the Supreme Court for having taken his oath a year ago in Hindi.
Despite an order by the apex court to be sworn in again in Hindi by Sunday, Vice-President Paramananda Jha refused to do so, plunging the state into a constitutional crisis.
The ministers and MPs, however, have an edge over the vice-president. The constitution allows them to take their oath in their mother tongue.
The expansion of the cabinet by the three-month-old government, which has been severely criticised for its failure to show any improvement, comes as a bid to appease the coalition partners, especially the Hindi parties.
The Terai parties last week called a shutdown in the southern plains in support of embattled Jha and the portfolios are a means of pacifying them and ensuing that the stir is called off.