The CPN-UML has put Prime Minister Sushil Koirala’s plans to expand the Cabinet by Thursday in a fix as it remains undecided over whether to join a Nepali Congress-led government despite the offer of a flexible power-sharing deal. 

The NC has proposed that the UML join the government with a second-rank deputy prime minister (DPM) with the Home  portfolio. It has also proposed a UML leader fill the post of state home minister in the Cabinet.

The UML, however, is refusing to join the government arguing that the proposal goes against the gentleman’s agreement reached before the election of NC President Sushil Koirala as the Prime Minister. The party said the NC’s offer has also undermined its equal strength in Parliament. 

UML leaders say they will not be part of a new government unless the previous agreement—to allocate a DPM in possession of the home portfolio to the party—is fully honoured in a power-sharing deal. 

“The NC’s offer for a second-rank DPM has put us in fix. We are not going to join the government under this condition,” said UML Secretary Shankar Pokharel. 

PM Koirala has assigned NC General Secretary Krishna Sitaula and leader Minendra Rijal to negotiate with the disgruntled UML leaders as the UML refused to sit for negotiations with the previous team led by Ram Sharan Mahat.

Senior UML members said the new negotiating team has deliberately floated the proposal before second-rung leaders rather than their seniors.  

The team has proposed General Secretary Prakash Man Singh as senior-most Deputy Prime Minister, but many within the party have been demanding the post for Vice-chairman Bam Dev Gautam, who is more senior than Singh as he held the DPM twice within the Home Ministry previously. 

Some leaders within the UML however said the NC’s proposal is an attempt to bar Gautam from the Home Ministry as the party has officially approved Vice-chairman Gautam to lead the party in government. Meanwhile, some, including senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, have been lobbying within the UML to seek a new candidate to lead the party in government in an attempt to weaken the Gautam-KP Oli alliance ahead of the party’s ninth general convention scheduled for mid-April. Both party chairmen Jhala Nath Khanal and Nepal believe Oli’s domination will be weakened in the party if they poach Secretary Bishnu Poudel from the Oli camp by offering him the Home Ministry portfolio instead of Gautam. 

Since Oli enjoys a majority in the party’s decision making body, the Standing Committee, the chances of installing Gautam’s alternative is less likely according to leaders. “We have already decided to send Bam Dev as DPM with the Home Ministry portfolio. So I see little chances of reversing the decision to serve the NC’s interests,” said UML leader Pradeep Gyawali, adding that senior leaders could settle the issue on their own. 

Gyawali said top leaders are checking the authenticity of the NC proposal. “We feel betrayed after not getting the Home Ministry portfolio which NC leaders had committed to allocate during the negotiation,” said Gyawali. 

Leaders said the party’s Standing Committee meeting, scheduled for Thursday will decide on the whether the party joins the government. Previously the UML had insisted on being allocated a home ministerial berth as a precondition to joining the government.