Kathmandu. A rift has arisen in the ruling coalition over the appointment of the governor of the Nepal Rastra Bank. The dispute has reached a climax after Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba could not reach an agreement.
President Deuba has been repeatedly pressuring Prime Minister Oli to finalize the appointment by specifying the name. Just a few days ago, President Deuba gave Prime Minister Oli a final ultimatum. He has sent a message to Oli that if the person he has named does not become the governor, the government is not in his hands.
A few days ago, a middleman who claimed to have formed the government himself had reached Baluwatar Gate to meet the Prime Minister at midnight. Prime Minister Oli sent a message to the person to come tomorrow morning.
The person who could not meet Oli had reached Budhanilkantha Deuba’s residence. After reaching Deuba’s residence, the person complained to Deuba that he had worked hard to form this government. But if the work did not go as planned, he had threatened to ‘show me’. A high-ranking source told Singha Durbar, “The person who reached Baluwatar to meet the Prime Minister reached Budhanilkantha after the Prime Minister asked him to meet him tomorrow. After he reached there, Deuba called Oli from Budhanilkantha. Deuba gave Oli a clear message on the phone that the government is not in a position to succeed if the governor is not appointed.”
According to the source, the person has been spreading false propaganda saying that he wants to make Neelam Dhungana the governor of the Nepal Rastra Bank and is trying to make someone else the governor internally.
Deuba had reached Baluwatar on the night of Chaitra 18 and proposed to make former Chief Secretary Rajendra Kishor Chhetri the governor. But Prime Minister Oli avoided the issue and flew to Thailand. After failing to reach an agreement after returning from Thailand, Prime Minister Oli has started discussing with his close associates whether to leave the governorship or the government. He has given a clear message to those in line to become governor from UML not to be disappointed if they do not get it.
Sources claim that after Deuba’s call, Oli himself called and met those people. Oli has given an indication to Chief Secretary Ek Narayan Aryal that he has agreed to leave the governorship for the sake of power. Sources claim that Oli has informed Chief Secretary Aryal that a person above the age of 65 should be appointed as governor. If there is no support, the Chief Secretary has been given the option of paving the way.
A few days ago, CPN-Maoist Center Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda said that he would unconditionally support forming a government under the leadership of the Nepali Congress. Similarly, his main political advisor Ganga Dahal is trying to form a new government through Nepali Congress spokesperson and former Finance Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat.
The post of Governor of the Nepal Rastra Bank has been vacant since Chaitra 24, 2081. Although the Rastra Bank Act stipulates that the appointment of the Governor should be made one month before the end of his term, the Governor has not been appointed even after 2 months have passed. Earlier, the government had collapsed due to the middleman’s opinion in the appointment process of the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of Nepal.
Rasty Swatantra Party leader and MP Biraj Bhakta Shrestha has accused the government of appointing Rajendra Kishor Chhetri as the governor on a set basis. Similarly, Rashtriya Swatantra Party MP Manish Jha has accused the government of waiting for the post of governor for his name and money. Main opposition leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal has accused the government of appointing the governor on the recommendation of middlemen. Ruling party leaders Shekhar Koirala and Gagan Thapa have also alleged that there was manipulation in the appointment of the governor.
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