KATHMANDU. Prime Minister Balendra Shah has removed Deepak Kumar Sah from the post of Minister for Labor, Employment, and Social Security. While the dismissal was carried out upon the recommendation of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and the primary reason cited was the 'appointment of his wife,' the internal story is entirely different and intriguing.
According to Baluwater sources, political maneuvering and dramatic sequences of events behind the media reports and the visible surface have determined Minister Sah's dismissal.
The Real Reason for Dismissal: Associations with Brokers at Midnight
According to high-level sources at Baluwatar, the primary reason for Minister Sah's dismissal is his involvement in secret meetings with brokers and middlemen late at night. Prime Minister Shah, who was monitoring Minister Sah's working style, received confidential information that the minister appeared to be overly 'self-interested' and had increased his intimacy with middlemen. Based on this information, Prime Minister Balendra Shah became disgruntled with Minister Sah and had already finalized his removal from the Cabinet.
RSP's Cleverness: 'Taking a Bath While It Rains'
The leadership of the RSP caught wind that the Prime Minister was about to dismiss Minister Sah. Fearing that a direct dismissal of their party's minister by the Prime Minister would tarnish the party's reputation, RSP Chairman Rabi Lamichhane took a clever step.
Realizing the ministerial post was certain to go, and personifying the proverb 'taking a bath while it rains,' RSP hurriedly sent a recommendation letter for dismissal to Baluwatar to save the party's image. There is talk in political circles that RSP tried to portray it as the 'party taking action itself' by using the old issue of Minister Sah appointing his own wife, Junu Shrestha, to the Health Insurance Board as a shield.
What is in the Official Letter?
In the letter sent to the Prime Minister, Chairman Lamichhane mentioned that Minister Sah abused his official position to regularize his wife as a member of the Health Insurance Board, which had long been kept inactive. Stating that this damaged the party's image, ideals, and dignity, it was noted that he was recalled by exercising Article 69 (Right to Recall) of the party's constitution.
Additionally, RSP has recommended cautioning Health and Population Minister Nisha Mehta, claiming she did not show the expected seriousness regarding such a grave matter.
Attempt to Divert Attention from the Deputy Speaker Scandal Another major political advantage for RSP in recalling Minister Sah in such a dramatic manner is to divert the attention of the general public and media from the 'Deputy Speaker Scandal.'
Recently, there was extreme dispute within the ruling coalition regarding who should be given the post of Deputy Speaker. RSP Chairman Rabi Lamichhane wanted to give the Deputy Speaker post to the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP). However, Prime Minister Balendra Shah intervened and, through his own initiative, secured the post for the Shram Sanskriti Party. It appears that RSP strategically used this dismissal of the Labor Minister to overshadow the political waves and friction within the coalition arising from that incident.
Next Step
With the removal of the Labor Minister by Prime Minister Shah, sources state that internal discussions have intensified at Baluwatar regarding whether to swear in new ministers simultaneously for the vacant Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Supplies and the Ministry of Labor, or how to proceed further.
