An understanding between Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and party leader Bimalendra Nidhi reached at the NC headquarters on Wednesday finally created an environment for Nidhi to rejoin the Cabinet as deputy prime minister and minister for home affairs.

Nidhi, who resigned from the post last week expressing displeasure at the impeachment motion against Chief Justice Sushila Karki, decided to join office on Thursday after meeting Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

According to the party leaders who facilitated the meeting, Deuba and Nidhi had agreed to iron out their differences. But the issue of appointing Nidhi as the party’s vice-president was not discussed. Nidhi has been claiming the post since Deuba was elected the party president last year.

According to NC leader Min Bahadur Bishwokarma, Nidhi had complained that Deuba had distanced him after Nidhi joined the government. Nidhi had played a key role in installing the NC-CPN (Maoist Centre) coalition. 

He had differences with the party president over the appointment of the Nepal Police chief.

Commending Nidhi’s role for bringing the agitating Madhes-based parties in the political process, Deuba is said to have agreed at the meeting to patch up the 

differences. Nidhi was told that his resignation as the home minister was untimely, when the country is gearing up for the local level elections. The meeting was productive for the NC, said Bishwokarma.

In a meeting between Dahal, Deuba and Nidhi at the PM’s residence on Thursday morning, Nidhi decided to withdraw his resignation.

Nidhi responded that he had decided to rejoin the government to contribute to constitution implementation and the local polls. NC leaders Gopalman Shrestha, Pradip Giri, Gyanendra Bahadur Karki, Arjun Narsingh KC and Ramesh Lekhak, among others, had urged the two top leaders for reconciliation for the party’s greater good.