Nepal: After growing concerns about his political involvement Energy Minister resigns

Nepal:  Minister for Energy, Physical Infrastructure, and Urban Development, Kulman Ghising, has resigned due to growing concerns about his political membership.

Ghising was the third most influential minister on the temporary Sushila Karki’s council of ministers when he was inducted into the “interim neutral government” in September of last year after the Gen-Z protest.

The “power man” of the government is said to be the former bureaucrat who oversaw the Nepal Electricity Authority and put an end to “loadshedding” in the Himalayan nation. However, since he had been running a political party covertly, the temporary prime minister herself questioned his political allegiance.

In December of last year, Ghising and his party, the Ujyaalo Nepal Party, which was founded after the Gen-Z protest, inked a merger agreement with the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP).

Ghising has maintained that official implementation of the agreement has not yet occurred. Late on Wednesday evening, he announced his retirement from the ministerial position and made a statement on the same.Even so, my name is referenced. Ghising said at a news conference late on Wednesday at the Ministry of Energy that the agreement between the Rastriya Swatantra Party and the Ujyaalo Nepal Party had not yet been legally implemented.

On December 29, Ghising, a longtime sponsor of the Ujyaalo Nepal Party, signed a merger agreement with the RSP. He is now the RSP’s highest-ranking vice president as a result of the merger.

His party has 14 members on the RSP’s list of candidates for proportional representation.

After taking over as vice-president of the RSP, Ghising has been under increasing pressure to quit the administration. PM Karki had also asked him to resign, pointing out that his participation in a non-partisan government was conveying the idea that the administration was controlled by one party.

On January 6, however, Ghising said during an event that he did not belong to any party.

His claim that he had already signed a contract to become the vice president of the RSP but denied membership in any party was criticized.

Ghising, however, reaffirmed that he is not a party member at the news conference on Wednesday as well.I have not yet joined any political party, despite my support and kindness. I’ve made it plain that I won’t join a party until I’ve fully entered politics,” he said.

Following the September Gen Z movement, President Ramchandra Paudel established an interim administration led by former Chief Justice Karki. The government was neutral and its main task was to arrange House of Representatives elections on March 5.

After 115 days as a minister, Ghising has now resigned from the Cabinet.