Kathmandu, Feb.1: In an effort to placate rivals in the ruling Nepali Congress party, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala Thursday night appointed rival young Turk Sher Bahadur Deuba to the powerful central committee, a party announcement said Thursday night.
Koirala, who is also president of the party, also appointed ageing protégé of the only surviving founder member of the party Krishna Prasad Bhattarai to the committee. Koirala earlier appointed Bhattarai and former prime minister who is his nemesis to the central working committee.
Among the 18 members elected to the central committee for the first time last month by a national convention, six rebels of the Deuba faction were elected while 12 other elected members were staunch Koirala supporters to ensure Koirala’s control of the committee.
The remaining 18 members will be nominated by Koirala as analysts watch to see to what extent the Prime Minister goes to placate his rivals in the party and government.Analysts said a government reshuffle in is expected any time.
Koirala defeated Deuba convincingly last month for the party’s presidency. ” The mandate of the convention was for unity in the party. We will have to wait and see how the prime minister moves ahead,” said a moderate leader of the ruling party who preferred anonymity.
Strongman Koirala has not hesitated in the past to act against an increasingly affirmative opposition within his own party as the main opposition is demanding the prime minister’s resignation ahead of the winter session of parliament over a controversial deal to lease a Boeing aircraft for the Royal Nepal Airlines beginning February 8.
Opposition says Koirala is also responsible for approving the deal with Austria’s Lauda Air through a cabinet decision that has cost the jobs of Minister for Tourism Tarani Dutta Chataut and chief executive officer of RNAC Hari Bhakta Shrestha.