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The CPN (Maoist Center) leaders are engaged in an internal discussion before the Cabinet reshuffle.

The Maoist leaders have reached the Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar to discuss Cabinet reshuffle and contemporary political issues.

Maoist Center Chairman and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Home Minister NarayanKaji Shrestha, Energy Minister Shakti Bahadur Basnet, Local Administration Minister AmanLal Modi, Tourism Minister Sudan Kiranti and Deputy General Secretary duo Barshaman Pun and Janardan Sharma are present in the discussion.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is preparing to expand the Cabinet by roping in the CK Raut-led Janamat Party.

CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has demanded the formation of a high-level judicial commission to investigate the 100 kg gold smuggling case.

The investigation required a judicial commission to reach the root in the scam, said the former Prime Minister at a press conference organized here today in the party office.

It was not possible to smuggle the gold of such a big amount without the involvement of people in higher ranks, he claimed.  

In another context, Chair Oli blamed that the government arrested lawmaker Sunil Sharma in a fake academic certificate case in its attempt to lessen the protest against it.

The UML has been obstructing the Parliament demanding the formation of a high-level commission to investigate the gold smuggling.

The main opposition CPN-UML has demanded the arrest of former prime minister duo Madhav Kumar Nepal and Baburam Bhattrai in the Lalita Niwas land grab case.

Though the Supreme Court had ordered to carry out an investigation, the UML has objected that they have not been interrogated so far.

During a press conference organized at the party office on Sunday, UML Publicity Department Chief Rajendra Gautam said, “Though the Supreme Court had issued a directive, the government has not been able to take the statement from former prime ministers Bhattarai and Nepal, who played a role from the Cabinet in the Lalita Niwas land scam till today.” “Because of the same reason also, we have demanded the formation of a high-level probe committee to investigate the recent gold smuggling case and punish the guilty.”

He said that the government has behaved the ruling and opposition parties differently.

When Nepal was the prime minister, the Cabinet on April 11, 2010 had decided to expand the residences of special persons on the land of Lalita Niwas.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has decided to have a performance contract with ministers by outlining annual objectives.

This contract has already been implemented between ministers and secretaries and department heads. Although a positive approach, the deal has faced several challenges in execution earlier. Basically, it is a failed concept.

A similar initiative introduced during the premiership of KP Oli could not yield anticipated outcomes due to governmental instability. The approach has become ineffective due to frequent replacement of ministers. Additionally, frequent transfer of secretaries, department heads and bureaucrats further impedes their ability to perform.

There is also a lack of coordination between cabinet ministers, ministries and bureaucrats, which also makes this approach difficult to execute. 

For this concept to be effective, a stable government, a consistent cabinet, and steady bureaucratic operations are a must. Without these elements, whether this approach will be effective or not is a moot question.

The author is a former government secretary