Internal Wrangling:

• Deuba sides with Situala for NSU, WMA polls
• Poudel accuses Deuba of intentionally sidelining them
• Poudel asks for compensation in state ministerial berths
• Deuba plans two state ministers for Poudel, one for Sitaula

Amid reports of Nepali Congress being marred by factionalism to the point that party president Sher Bahadur Deuba and Ram Chandra Poudel were not in talking terms, Poudel has demanded a respectable number of state ministerial berths for his faction.

Poudel paid a courtesy call on Deuba at the latter’s residence in Budanilkantha on Thursday evening and asked the three-time former prime minister to lead the party in a unified manner. “When NC inducted ministers, we had demanded five ministries when it was said that our party would get 13 portfolios, not the 15 ministries our party has now,” Poudel told the Post. “Deuba will have to compensate us this time around when we send state ministers.”

According to sources, the relationship between Deuba and Poudel had turned so sour that they were not in talking terms in recent times. Poudel is said to be miffed after his faction was swept by the establishment side during last week’s general convention of the Nepal Women’s Association, a sister organisation of the party. The faction accused Deuba of “siding with the third faction in the party with a calculated intention to topple them.”

The establishment side had joined hands with the third faction, led by Krishna Prasad Situala, during the women association’s conclave held in the Capital between September 14-16. Their joint panel proved to be too strong, leaving the Poudel faction with only one elected member from their panel among the over 60 women in their central working body. 

The dissatisfaction was evident when despite being invited as a special guest at the handover ceremony of the association held at Sanepa on Wednesday, Poudel failed to show up.

This week, Deuba is said to have asked Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal for at least eight state ministerial berths for his party. However, Dahal has requested him to settle for seven in the new equation.

Apart from nine ministries from the UCPN Maoist Centre, 15 from the NC and two from Rastriya Prajatantra Party, the government also has four state ministers from the Maoist Centre. If Congress adds seven state ministers, the size of the Cabinet will reach a staggering 38.

According to leaders close to Deuba, talks are afoot to give the Poudel faction no more than two state ministers, and one for Situala's team. Poudel outrightly rejected it. “By no means will we accept only two state ministerial berths,” he said.

Possible scenario

According to leaders close to Deuba, among the front runners to represent the government are—Min Biswakarma from Sunsari and Sujata Pariyar from Ilam, both representing the Dalit community, Abdul Razzak from Rupandehi representing the Muslim community, Ram Hari Khatiwada from Okhaldhunga, Sitaram Mehata from Sunsari, Dhyan Govinda Ranjit from Kathmandu and Dirgha Raj Bhat from Kailali. Other possible names include, Angtawa Sherpa from Ramechap, Dhurba Wagle from Tanahu and Subarna Jwarachan from Gulmi—all from the establishment side.

From the Poudel faction, Surendra Acharya from Kapilvastu, Sarita Prasai from Jhapa, Kanchan Bade Shrestha from Kavre and Jeevan Pariyar from Kaski are names prominently figuring during internal talks.

Sources also added that Deuba is determined to send state ministers keeping in mind the representation of states and communities, in an inclusive manner.