Nepal’s dy PM quits, pulls party out of Prachanda govt

Kathmandu: Nepal’s deputy PM Upendra Yadav on Monday tendered his resignation and the Madhesi politician’s party also pulled out of the govt, a setback to PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda-led coalition.
Yadav, also the minister for health and population, submitted his resignation to Prachanda, sources said. His party member, minister of state for forest and environment Dipak Karki, has also submitted his resignation. The resignation by Yadav, the chairman of Janata Samajwadi Party Nepal (JSP Nepal), comes a week after his party split into two groups with senior politician Ashok Rai
forming a new party named Janata Samajwadi Party. “Given the current political situation, I find it untenable to continue my cooperation with the govt,” Yadav said. The JSP-Nepal had altogether 12 lawmakers in the House of Representatives (HoR). After the party’s split, its strength has now been reduced to 5.
Prachanda’s coalition still holds a majority with 77 seats of the CPN-UML, 32 of the Maoist Centre, 21 of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, seven of the newly formed Janata Samajbadi Party and 10 seats of the CPN-Unified Socialist (CPNUS). The coalition requires at least 138 seats in the 275-member HoR to prove a majority.
JSP-Nepal’s pullout from the govt will not have an immediate impact, but it may’ve repercussions on the stability of the govt in the long run, say analysts. According to reports, opposition Nepali Congress is trying to mobilise JSP-Nepal and CPN-US, led by former PM Madhav Nepal, to topple the Prachanda-led govt. If CPN-US also withdraws support then the Prachanda-led govt might need to prove its majority.