Amidst uncertainty over who is going to be the next governor of Nepal Rastra Bank, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli have inched closer to agreement on the appointment of the head of the central bank of Nepal.
In the meeting held at Baluwatar, Prime Minister Oli was reported to be soft on the proposal floated by President Deuba on the governor's appointment.
In the 45-minute-long one-on-one meeting between the two leaders, which started at 11 AM, focused on the governor's appointment and the ongoing protest of the school teachers.
The NC leadership has proposed the names of Gunakar Bhatta, Rajendra Kumar Chhetri, Gyanendra Dhungana and Rabindra Pandey, according to a source close to Deuba.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Oli was in favor of picking Neelam Dhungana, the deputy governor, as the next governor of Nepal Rastra Bank. Neelam is also working as the acting governor, currently.
"Neelam is a natural claimant to the post of the governor. She is a qualified and talented candidate as well," Baluwatar source quoted PM Oli as saying.
However, Deuba did not agree to it. "Prime Minister Oli has been floating the name of Neelam. It is natural, too. But, the NC does not agree to it. The governor will be appointed according to the proposal of the NC," the source added.
The post of the governor is lying vacant after the outgoing governor, Maha Prasad Adhikari, retired on April 7. The appointment of the next governor should be fixed one month before the retirement of the incumbent governor, according to the existing rules.
A cabinet meeting scheduled for this evening is expected to pick the new governor, the source said.
The two leaders have also agreed to call a meeting of the high level political mechanism formed to run the government to resolve all kinds of issues seen in the ruling alliance, the Baluwatar source said.
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