Ruling coalition meeting at 10 am in Baluwatar

KATHMANDU: A meeting of the ruling coalition is taking place at the Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar at 10 am today.

The leaders of the ruling alliance in the meeting will discuss cabinet expansion and an upcoming strategy of the ruling coalition in the parliament, according to Bhanu Deuba, the chief personal secretary of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.

Main opposition CPN-UML is disrupting the parliament over the role of Speaker Agni Sapkota describing it “biased.”

Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) Chairman Upendra Yadav said the meeting will form a strategy on how to run the parliament smoothly amidst the UML protests. Yadav further said that the meeting will also dwell on the cabinet expansion.

The meeting on Friday discussed whether to withdraw the ordinance related to political parties or bring a replacement bill. The CPN (Unified Socialist) has stressed on the need to bring a replacement bill, while the JSP has demanded that it be withdrawn.

Prime Minister Deuba is in a dilemma after the Unified Socialist and JSP stressed on the need to expand the Council of Ministers without ignoring the ordinance.

The Council of Ministers has not been able to get full shape even after almost two months of the formation of the government. Prime Minister Deuba is running the government with four ministers and one minister of state.

On Friday, Deuba had requested Unified Socialist Chairman Nepal and JSP Chairman Yadav to provide name-list of at least two ministers.