King Gyanendra (file photo)

King Gyanendra (file photo)
Amidst allegations of bad governance and growing corruption – and notwithstanding mounting national and international pressure to return to democratic process – His Majesty King Gyanendra went on to reshuffle his Council of Ministers on Wednesday, putting together a 35-member cabinet of loyalists.

The new royal cabinet comprises of 14 cabinet ministers, seven state ministers and 14 assistant ministers. His Majesty removed six senior ministers – Home Minister Dan Bahadur Shahi, Finance Minister Madhukar SJB Rana, General Administration Minister Krishna Lal Thakali, Labour and Transport Minister Ram Narayan Yadav, Local Development Minister Khadga Bahadur G.C and Women, Children and Social Welfare Minister Durga Shrestha – from the cabinet and brought some known loyalists on board including some leaders of fringe political parties.

First vice-chairman of the cabinet, Dr Tulsi Giri, who had been holding the Land Reforms and Water Resources ministries will now oversee the Water Resources portfolio only while another vice-chairman, Kirti Nidhi Bista, who held three ministries earlier – Physical Planning and Works, Health and Population and Industry, Commerce and Supplies – has not been given any portfolio in the new cabinet.

Recently, vice-chairman Bista made headlines as he described the 12-point agreement between the seven political parties and the Maoists as a positive development. He said any move aimed at restoring peace in the Kingdom was welcome for him. However, the government maintains firm resistance to the Maoist-parties pact.

In the new cabinet, Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) leader Kamal Thapa has been appointed as the Home Minister, Nepal Samata Party chairman Narayan Singh Pun as Minister for Land Reforms and Management, Rastriya Janashakti Party (RJP) Buddhiman Tamang as Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies and chairman of the newly formed Democratic Nepal Party (DNP), Keshar Bahadur Bista, as Agriculture Minister while government spokesman Tanka Dhakal has been shifted to Local Development Ministry from the Ministry of Information and Communication. Srish Shumsher Rana, who comes from a journalism background, has been inducted as the Minister of State for Information and Communication.

Among the new appointees, Thapa, Tamang and Pun held important ministries in previous governments constituted after the sacking of an elected government in October 2002. Pun, a retired army colonel, grabbed wide publicity for his active role, as a minister, during the last round of government-Maoist peace talks in 2003.

Similarly, Agriculture Minister Badri Prasad Mandal has been shifted to the General Administration Ministry and Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Buddhi Raj Bajracharya has been ‘relegated’ as a Minister Without Portfolio. Assistant minister Yankila Sherpa will now oversee the tourism portfolio as a state minister.

Assistant minister Dr Rup Jyoti will now look after the entire affairs at the Finance Ministry as a state minister with the removal of Rana who faced bad press for his alleged involvement in a fertiliser scam few months earlier.

Two Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) central leaders Roshan Karki and Bhuwan Pathak have been inducted in the cabinet as assistant ministers for Local Development and Education and Sports respectively while Dr Durga Pokhrel has been appointed as Minister of State for Women, Children and Social Welfare.

Karki and Pathak had been vocal in favour of the February 1 royal move even as their party had officially criticised it. Mani Lama, Rabindra Khanal and Brajesh Kumar Gupta Mishra have been appointed as state ministers for Labour and Transport, Physical Planning and Management and Health and Population ministries respectively.

Assistant ministers Jagat Gauchan and Senate Shrestha, the two most controversial figures of the royal cabinet, have been relieved from their posts while Govind Chaudhary, Toran Bahadur Gurung and Nepal Chamber of Commerce president Rajesh Kaji Shrestha have found place in the royal cabinet as assistant ministers for Agriculture and Cooperatives, General Administration and Industry and Commerce ministries respectively. Yagya Bahadur Budhathoki, Tek Narayan Rajbansi, Sonelal Yadav, Pratap Ram Lohar and Chakra Bahadur Lama have also found place in the cabinet as assistant ministers.

This is the third cabinet reshuffle in a row since the royal move of February 1 when His Majesty assumed direct power, forming a government under his chairmanship.

Almost all new faces in the new cabinet are known for their support to the royal move and have been vocal against the ongoing pro-democracy movement being waged by the seven opposition parties.