KATHMANDU: Amid rising internal tensions threatening the stability of the Nepali Congress-led government in Bagmati Province, the Nepali Congress has entrusted leader Rajan KC to facilitate efforts to resolve the ongoing power struggle.
Nepali Congress General Secretary Bishwaprakash Sharma confirmed that KC, a central member and elected MP from Kirtipur, has been assigned to represent the central party in Bagmati.
“A central representative is needed for facilitation. The party has appointed Rajan Kumar KC for that role,” Sharma said.
He clarified that KC will only act as a facilitator and that the central leadership will not interfere in the province’s internal affairs. “The province will resolve its own issues,” Sharma stated.
The crisis erupted after Indra Bahadur Baniya, President of the Bagmati Province Working Committee and a member of the Deuba faction, filed a no-confidence motion against Chief Minister Bahadur Singh Lama, who also belongs to the Deuba camp. The move followed dissatisfaction over the provincial budget and governance.
Since the leader of the parliamentary party is eligible to become Chief Minister, Baniya is pushing to unseat Lama and take over the leadership himself.
Lama assumed office under a power-sharing agreement with the ruling CPN-UML, in which each party would lead the government for half of the term. He is the first Congress Chief Minister in Bagmati Province.
According to sources, Lama had informally agreed to hand over power to Baniya after nine months. That deadline has now passed, increasing pressure from Baniya’s side.
Of the 37 Nepali Congress MPs in the Bagmati Provincial Assembly, 21 have signed the no-confidence motion. Four ministers from the Congress have resigned, and in response, Chief Minister Lama has dismissed them.
General Secretary Sharma downplayed the crisis, describing it as part of the democratic process. “Such differences are natural in democracy.
They should be resolved through legal procedures,” he said. He added that if necessary, the process for a no-confidence vote in the provincial assembly would proceed.
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