The political atmosphere has in Nepal suddenly heated up after the cabinet meeting on Monday evening removed Kulman Ghising, the managing director (MD) of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), and appointed Hitendra Dev Shakya in his place.
Reacting to the government's decision, leaders from various political parties including the ruling Nepali Congress, have expressed their outrage stating that the decision is erroneous, demanding withdrawal.
Nepali Congress spokesperson Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat voiced dissatisfaction, stating that the process was taken forward despite his belief that the removal of Kulman was halted.
“We were under the belief that the process to remove Kulman had been halted, but they went ahead with it. There was no discussion within the party—nothing,” Mahat told Nepalkhabar.
NC General Secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma have criticized the government for taking a wrong decision. Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak had also expressed disagreement with the decision to remove Kulman during the cabinet meeting itself.
However, a minister, talking to Nepalkhabar seeking anonymity, revealed that Energy Minister Deepak Khadka and Foreign Minister Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba from the NC had strongly pushed for Ghising’s removal in the cabinet meeting.
Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, Chairman of the CPN (Maoist Center), also immediately objected to the government’s decision, releasing a statement.
“At a time when the country was undergoing extreme load-shedding, my government had appointed Kulman Ghising, an energy expert, as the Managing Director of the NEA,” Prachanda wrote on social media. “His expertise and capabilities, combined with our leadership, successfully contributed to building a brighter Nepal—a fact well-known to the public. The news that the government has dismissed Kulman through a cabinet decision has reached me via media reports. This step by the government is completely wrong and objectionable. I strongly condemn this decision made in the arrogance of a two-thirds majority.”
Rajendra Lingden, Chairman of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), also criticized the government’s decision to remove Kulman stating the move is extremely regressive.
He described the move as a “regression in the Authority” and accused the government of acting arbitrarily—removing and appointing officials at will. Lingden, a former Energy Minister himself, said he would raise the issue in Parliament.
Kulman Ghising has stated that he will move the court against the government’s decision. “As soon as I receive the official letter, I will move the court against the government’s illegal move,” he said.
Kulman was appointed for his second term as Managing Director of the NEA on August 9, 2021. The term of the Managing Director is four years, meaning his tenure was set to end in the next four months.
Voices within the NC have been rising against the government’s move to remove an employee who was about to complete his term and leave. Congress General Secretary Thapa had publicly expressed this dissent.
Opposition parties have also announced that they will raise this issue in parliament. With the government’s decision triggering controversies even within the major ruling party, politics is expected to heat up further. Debates on this issue are likely to dominate both Parliament, streets and the courts in the coming days.
.
