Nepal: Minister Ghising resigns after 115 days

Kathmandhu, Jan 7 Nepali Cabinet Minister Kul Man Ghising on Wednesday resigned from his post amid pressure from Prime Minister Sushila Karki on ministers aligned with political parties to quit their ministerial positions.

Ghising, who served as Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Physical Infrastructure and Transport, and Urban Development, submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Karki after serving 115 days in office. He was appointed minister on September 15 last year.

Ghising is believed to be behind the formation of the Ujyalo Nepal Party, which later merged with the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), on December 29.

Under the understanding reached between the two sides, Ghising is expected to become a senior vice-president of the RSP, which was the fourth-largest political party in the dissolved House of Representatives.

He is also expected to contest the parliamentary elections scheduled for March 5 this year.

After submitting his resignation, Ghising hinted that allegations of his involvement in party politics had contributed to his decision to step down.

As criticism mounted over ministers openly engaging in partisan activities despite being part of a supposedly apolitical government, Prime Minister Karki reportedly instructed ministers involved in party politics to leave the government during a Cabinet meeting on Monday.

The interim government, formed on September 12 following the Gen Z movement in early September, is widely viewed as neutral, impartial, and free from political baggage.

At a press meet organised after his resignation, Ghising claimed that he is not a member of any political party, stating that the agreement between the Ujyalo Nepal Party and the RSP has not yet been formally implemented.

He also recalled that, in Nepal’s history, prime ministers and ministers of interim and election governments have contested elections while remaining in office.

Ghising, who is credited with ending up to 18 hours of load shedding during his tenure as managing director of the Nepal Electricity Authority, is among the highly popular public figures in the Himalayan country.

In an effort to strengthen alternative political forces, the RSP had brought together popular figures such as Ghising and Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balen Shah under its fold.

The RSP is led by former media personality Rabi Lamichhane, who faced allegations of fraud in cooperative institutions, and was recently released from prison as per the court order.

During his tenure overseeing several development-focused ministries, Ghising terminated hundreds of infrastructure-related contracts with construction companies for stalling projects for years.

He also said he made efforts to reform the country’s energy, water resources, and irrigation sectors, advance infrastructure development, and improve the living standards of the people.

Following his resignation, Prime Minister Karki thanked Ghising for providing “capable” leadership of three important ministries for three and a half months.

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