The mad rush

No sooner are the political parties out of the government, they want to jump right back in.

t is distressing to hear talks of a change in government, barely a month after the formation of the new coalition under Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. The main opposition, Nepali Congress, has been asking for the resignation of Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane over his connection to a co-operative fund scam. Its leaders say the police cannot freely probe a sitting home minister. Yet the prime minister has dismissed the demand for such a parliamentary probe. The main opposition does not seem to be in a mood to let go of this issue easily. Besides this, second-rung Congress leaders are making all kinds of overtures towards the CPN-UML, the biggest party in the ruling coalition. Even some senior leaders like Shekhar Koirala say that unless the Congress and the UML come together, the country’s pressing problems will remain unsolved. For instance, there is a growing voice in the Congress party for a reform in the country’s electoral system, which, currently, cannot yield a majority for any one party. This, they argue, is a major cause of political instability and a big hurdle for Nepal’s development and prosperity. Only if the Congress and the UML join hands will it be possible to muster a two-thirds majority to amend the constitution to correct this supposed error.