There seems to be some strain in the ruling coalition. Last Wednesday, Madhav Kumar Nepal, chair of CPN (Unified Socialist), a coalition partner, said his party was unhappy with the way Finance Minister Prakash Saran Mahat had “wantonly distributed” the national budget for the coming fiscal. On the same day, Upendra Yadav, chief of Janata Samajbadi, another ruling party, accused the finance minister of being biased against Madhesh while earmarking funds for the region. On Friday, lawmaker Rajendra Pandey, vice-chair of Unified Socialist, said the party wouldn't hesitate to quit the government if their concerns don’t get a hearing. Former Prime Minister Nepal reiterated his dissatisfaction on Sunday as well. While emerging from the Parliament he even warned that the government may meet with an accident if the budget’s flaws are not fixed.

There is perhaps more to the ruling leaders’ dissatisfaction with the annual budget than meets the eye. Within three weeks of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal giving full shape to his Cabinet, he has now started negotiations to bring the Janamat Party on board. For his plan to materialise, other coalition parties will have to vacate ministries. Moreover, inducting ministers from CK Raut’s party will be anathema to Yadav, as he considers Raut and his Janamat Party his major rivals in Madheshi politics.

In the parliamentary system Nepal has adopted, the prime minister is all-powerful. The head of the government has the luxury to form a team of ministers he is comfortable working with. But while doing so, the prime minister should at least be clear on why he wants to take a particular party or leader on board. Likewise, the aspiring partners should know why—besides their desire to be ministers—they want to enter Singhadurbar. This cannot be a simple matter of give and take, whereby a party will support the government if its members are inducted in the Cabinet. The coalition partners should also be ideologically close if the government is to function smoothly and deliver. It took Dahal five months to complete his team. Similarly, the coalition partners such as Yadav and Nepal sent their ministers to the Cabinet only after months-long bargaining—and Dahal is already thinking of rocking the boat. Meanwhile, the Janamat Party, which was trying to project itself as a principled actor, now appears to be shamelessly bargaining for ministerial portfolios.

The constantly changing cast of ministers does great harm to governance and service-delivery. Ministers need time to adjust to their new roles. Often, they are sacked even before they have had a chance to properly understand what they need to do. They also play a key role in formulating policies of the ministries they lead. Chopping and changing them frequently leads to policy instability—with all the concomitant troubles. The prime minister often says he wants to do something remarkable in his third stint. But six months down the road, Dahal is already antagonising coalition partners and sowing mistrust in the coalition. Paradoxically, he may end up losing power in his singular focus to retain it.