Koirala proposes Sujata as foreign minister, leader of NC team in cabinet

Confirming speculations, Nepali Congress president Girija Prasad Koirala has asked Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal to appoint his daughter Sujata Koirala as the foreign minister and also said Sujata would lead the NC team in the coalition government.

Koirala proposed Sujata’s name as the leader of the NC team in the cabinet at a meeting with PM Nepal, UML chairman Jhala Nath Khanal and UML general secretary Ishwor Pokhrel, at his residence in Maharajgunj, Tuesday evening.

The name of other ministers from NC has not been finalised, though it is learnt that NC has prepared a list including names of Prakash Man Singh, Purna Kumar Sherma, Mohammad Aftab Alam and Uma Kant Chaudhary to represent in the government. The final list would be submitted after the ministries to be allocated to NC is finalised, party leader Bimalendra Nidhi said.

At the meeting with UML leaders, NC president Koirala asked PM Nepal to induct Sujata to the cabinet tomorrow itself and also asked for seven berths to NC, one more than proposed by the UML.

Koirala also told PM Nepal not to appoint anyone as the deputy Prime Minister.

There has been an agreement between Koirala and the UML leaders to allocate defense ministry for NC and finance and home ministries to the UML. Earlier, UML leaders had suggested PM Nepal to keep important ministries including home, finance and defense with UML at a meeting Tuesday morning.

Other NC leaders are opposed to Koirala’s proposition to designate Sujata as the leader of NC in the cabinet. Leaders including Sher Bahadur Deuba and Bimalendra Nidhi held a meeting separately shortly after Koirala proposed Sujata’s name. However, none of the leaders have vocally protested Koirala’s proposal.

I don’t want to talk about something that has not been discussed in the party, NC leader Ram Chandra Poudel told media persons after the party president’s meeting with the UML leaders Tuesday evening. nepalnews.com ta Jun 02 09