This combo photo shows Lila Giri and Chet Narayan Acharya.
LUMBINI: CPN-UML’s parliamentary party leader in the Lumbini Province Assembly, Lila Giri, was expected to be appointed as the new Chief Minister of Lumbini after Jokh Bahadur Mahara of CPN (Maoist Center) lost majority in the provincial assembly and stepped down on Sunday.
Since UML was to lead the provincial government as per the power-sharing deal between the Nepali Congress and UML, everybody expected Giri, who led the province briefly after the November 2022 polls, to get the province’s top post. A letter was even drafted to submit Giri’s claim to form a new government in the province. However, everything changed overnight.
On Monday morning, UML Secretary Shankar Pokahrel instructed UML’s Lumbini Province Committee Chairperson Radha Krishna Kandel to form the new government under the leadership of the deputy parliamentary party Chet Narayan Acharya. Giri, who was certain to become Chief Minister, was shocked. He immediately called the Prime Minister and his party chair, KP Sharma Oli. Oli told him that things had progressed differently this time.
Giri has expressed dissatisfaction over the decision to sideline the parliamentary party leader overnight. “It’s not about what happened to me. This kind of tendency doesn’t motivate honest workers to work hard. This is against parliamentary norms and values,” Giri said. “It was wrong for the central leader to interfere in provincial affairs.”
The politburo member of UML is known among party leaders and cadres as a leader who is easy to work with. He has been playing the role of a mediator in the party as party workers are divided into camps led by Vice Chairperson Bishnu Prasad Paudel and General Secretary Shankar Pokahrel.
As per the directive of UML’s central leaders, Acharya submitted his claim to form the government with the support of 56 members to Province Chief Amik Sherchan at 3:45 pm and was subsequently appointed Chief Minister at 5:30 pm. Giri didn’t accompany Acharya to the Office of the Province Chief to submit the latter’s claim to form a new government.
“Generally, the parliamentary party leader becomes Chief Minister. If it is not possible, it is up to the parliamentary party meeting to decide,” a UML provincial assembly member said. “This is an insult to Giri.”
Nepali Congress parliamentary party leader Dilli Bahadur Chaudhary said the two parties had agreed to make UML’s parliamentary party leader Giri the next Chief Minister. “It was the decision taken by the UML,” he added.
A UML provincial assembly member said the deputy leader was made Chief Minister as per the party center’s directive. “There is no provision in the statute that prevents the deputy leader from becoming Chief Minister,” he added.
Faction politics in Lumbini
Every upheaval in UML in the province is linked to the power tussle between Vice Chairperson Paudel and General Secretary Pokahrel, both of whom belong to Lumbini Province.
Paudel and Pokharel factions even contested the election for the provincial committee last year by forming separate panels. The power tussle of the two leaders was also evident when selecting the provincial capital. While Paudel was for making Butwal the provincial capital, Pokharel lobbied for Dang. Ultimately, the Deukhuri Valley of Dang was chosen as the provincial capital when Pokharel was the Chief Minister of the province. Paudel was serving as the federal finance minister at that time.
Paudel was accused of trading the provincial capital for the position of finance minister.
UML leaders and cadres say Giri has fallen victim to the factional politics of these two leaders. They see it as a blatant interference of the central general secretary in the party’s provincial affairs.
Local leaders and cadres are dissatisfied with the decision. UML youth leader Devraj Pokharel tagged Paudel in a post on his Facebook page and asked: “The parliamentary party leader in Lumbini was ‘sacked’ just because his name was associated with you. How long will you keep watching silently when workers associated with your name are treated this way?”
