Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has begun preparations to push his stalled Cabinet reshuffle plan after a nod from Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba.

In a meeting on Thursday, Dahal and Deuba agreed to reshuffle the Cabinet but they are yet to decide whether the entire set of ministers will be changed or there will only be some replacements.

An aide to the prime minister told the Post that Dahal is meeting Deuba and other ruling party leaders on Sunday to discuss the removal of some tainted and controversial ministers as well as the overall Cabinet reshuffle.

As the prime minister is scheduled to answer Parliament on Monday, he first wants to decide the fate of some ministers including Health Minister Mohan Bahadur Basnet, Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Prakash Jwala and Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Sudan Kirati.

Basnet was grilled by the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority in the case involving the unauthorised budget approval for a telecommunication project. Kirati faces multiple complaints from various sections, while a probe committee has blamed Jwala for the deaths of two youths in police action at Balkumari, Lalitpur on December 29.

Before responding to lawmakers' queries on Monday, the prime minister has to form a position, the aide said. For that, he would discuss the issues with other coalition partners.

At the House of Representatives, some CPN-UML and Rastriya Swatantra Party lawmakers have sought answers from the prime minister on the controversial ministers and what actions the government will take against them.

In a meeting with Congress leaders—Vice-presidents Purna Bahadur Khadka, who is also the deputy prime minister and minister for defence, and Dhanraj Gurung, who is the minister for law, justice and parliamentary affairs; and general secretaries duo Gagan Kumar Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma—on Thursday, Deuba made clear that he had reached an understanding with Dahal to recommend a new set of ministers from the party within a week, according to multiple Congress leaders.

The largest party has nine ministers in the Dahal Cabinet. The reshuffle will happen as soon as the Congress recommends the names, said Govinda Acharya, press adviser to the prime minister. There has been an understanding between the two leaders to reshuffle the Cabinet by the middle of March, leaders briefed on the matter said.

Dahal has given Deuba a week’s time to submit the names of new ministers, said Acharya.

Some parties have already submitted the names of new ministers to the prime minister, said Acharya. Deuba has already started an exercise to pick ministers from the Congress. Ramesh Lekhak, the Congress chief whip, is Deuba’s top priority for a ministerial job, a Congress leader said. At least three ministers from the party await recall.

According to a Maoist Centre leader, Dahal wants to remove Finance Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat and Health Minister Basnet at the first go. On the other hand, the Congress wants Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha and Tourism Minister Kirati to go immediately.

With the upcoming National Assembly chair election becoming a bone of contention between the two coalition partners, political leaders said the prime minister has put pressure on the Congress to effect a Cabinet reshuffle without further delay.

After a recent Standing Committee meeting of the Maoist Centre decided to field its own candidate for the Assembly chair, misunderstanding grew in the ruling alliance. The Congress has already forwarded the name of Krishna Prasad Sitaula for the Assembly chair, anticipating full support of the ruling alliance. The Maoists’ claim to the chair as the largest party in the Assembly, possibly with the opposition CPN-UML’s backing, made Congress leaders suspicious of Dahal’s intent.

“There will be a concrete decision at another round of discussion among the ruling parties to be held ahead of the assembly chair election,” said Min Bishwakarma, the head of the Congress publicity division.

Dahal wanted to remove some ministers when he completed a year in office in the first week of January. But Deuba asked him to wait until the Congress Mahasamiti meeting. With the conclusion of the Mahasamiti meeting, Dahal renewed his push for a new-look Cabinet.

Some ministers may be given continuity, said Acharya, but the majority will be removed.

“There will be a give and take during the election of the National Assembly chair and Cabinet reshuffle. We have agreed on the reshuffle in order to facilitate the prime minister,” said Bishwakarma. Deuba and Deputy Prime Minister Khakda are consulting the prime minister on the modality of Cabinet reshuffle.

Despite Congress leaders’ optimism that their party will get the assembly chair, the Maoist Centre is still confident of grabbing the post. If the Congress does not support a Maoist candidate, the UML is ready to throw its weight behind the candidate, a CPN (Maoist Centre) Standing Committee member said.

The rift between the Congress and the Maoist Centre was thought to be widening particularly after the Mahasamiti meeting of the Nepali Congress that concluded on February 22.

The Maoist Centre has expressed serious reservations over some of the issues raised and endorsed at the Mahasamiti meeting. Particularly contentious was a paper curbing the prospect of a future electoral alliance with other parties. The Maoists also became suspicious when Congress delegates questioned the decade-long insurgency waged by Dahal’s erstwhile revolutionary party, even as a pro-Hindu Congress wing lobbied for the restoration of Hindu state.

These issues sowed doubt among the ruling partners in general and between the Nepali Congress and the Maoist Centre in particular. Deuba will clear the air in his discussions with the prime minister, said Bishwakarma.