Nepal struggles with cabinet expansion

KATHMANDU: When Indian foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon arrives in Kathmandu on Saturday, Lord Pashupatinath will grant him at least one wish. His desire to hold talks with the home minister of the republic will come true with Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal on Wednesday finally being able to induct 10 more new ministers against great odds, including a full-fledged home minister and a minister of state in the same ministry.
However, New Delhi���s keenness to see the stalled peace process in Nepal take off once again may not be granted so soon.Nepal still has a long innings ahead to battling to reach the target of a strong national government with three of his regional allies continuing to toss googlies at him.
The Madhesi Janadhikar Forum, the biggest party in Nepal���s Terai plains and therefore of great importance to India for the sake of peace along its border, has proved to be a friend more fickle than a foe, holding up the formation of a full-fledged government with its insistence on juicy ministries. Though Forum leader Bijay Kumar Gachhadar was made deputy prime minister to wean his party away from the Maoists, he is now demanding his pound of flesh and refused to send his men to the cabinet till it is met.
Even if Gachhadar is pacified, Nepal will still have to contend with two more Terai parties: Terai Madhes Loktantrik Party and Sadbhavana Party, both of whom have so far refused to send members to the cabinet, saying they were being fobbed off with castoff ministries.
Nepal���s current 21-member cabinet also does little to boost the communists��� claim to uphold the rights of women and Dalits. There are no woman and Dalits among the new ministers.
The swearing-in ceremony Wednesday was marked by utter chaos, beginning three hours after schedule with the Terai parties keeping up their bickering till the end. It will boost the morale of the Maoists, whose politburo has begun a meeting to decide its new war strategy. Maoist chief and former PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda is advocating a new national government to be headed by his party.
New Nepal cabinet
1. PM: Madhav Kumar Nepal
2. Dy PM and physical planning and works: Bijay Kumar Gachhadar
3. Foreign Affairs: Sujata Koirala
4. Finance: Surendra Pandey
5. Defence: Bidya Bhandari
6. Information and communications: Shankar Pokhrel
7. Energy: Prakash Sharan Mahat
8: Home: Bhim Rawal
9. Balkrishna Khand: Irrigation
10. Federal affairs, constituent assembly, parliamentary affairs and culture: Minendra Rijal
11. Local development: Purna Kumar Sherma Limbu
12. Health and population: Umakant Chaudhari
13. Peace and reconstruction: Rakam Chemjong
14. Labour and transport management: Md Aftab Alam
15. General administration: Prahakar Pradhananga
16. Land reforms and management: Dumbar Shrestha
Ministers of state
17. Local development: Ganesh Khadka
18. Peace and reconstruction: Dilli Bahadur Mahat
19. General administration: Jit Bahadur Dorjee Gautam
20. Energy: Chandra Singh Bhattarai
21. Home: Rizvan Ansari
22. Health and population: Khadka Bahadur Basyal Sarki