Preparations are being made to switch CPN (Maoist Center) Senior Vice Chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha over from the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Leaders close to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal say that they are ready to hand over the Home Ministry to Shrestha, who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Physical Infrastructure.
"It seems certain that Narayan Kaji Shrestha will be given the responsibility of Home Affairs," said a Maoist leader close to Prime Minister Prachanda.
After Rabi Lamichhane lost his Member of Parliament (MP) and ministerial post on January 27 over the citizenship issue, the Ministry of Home Affairs is lying vacant. The Prime Minister himself is looking after this ministerial portfolio.
Prime Minister Prachanda is making preparations to expand the cabinet today (Wednesday) which has been has been stalled for about two months.
Prachanda is in talks with the 10-party coalition parties to appoint ministers to the 16 ministries which are currently under his responsibility.
If Narayankaji is transferred from the physical, he will hold the Home Ministry for the second time.
Earlier, Shrestha became the Home Minister for the first time on August 1, 2011 in the government led by Jhala Nath Khanal.
Who is Shrestha?
Born in Jaubari, Gorkha in 2016 BS, Shrestha has a master's degree in public administration.
Around the year 2036, Shrestha taught mathematics for some time at Siddhartha Banasthali in Kathmandu. He then went underground.
He became public in open politics after the success of the 2062/063 People's Movement.
In 2043, he became a central member of the CPN (4th General Convention) led by Nirmal Lama and became active in communist politics. In 2048, he was elected a politburo member in the CPN (Unity Center) formed after the unity with the Prachanda.
Unity Center split in 2051 BS. Prachanda-Baburam Bhattarai formed the CPN (Maoist) and waged the people's war. Shrestha stayed in the Unity Center and took the leadership from Lama.
He remained in leadership for almost eight years. Unity Center led by Shrestha and CPN (Masal) led by Mohan Bikram Singh, Chitra Bahadur KC were merged to form CPN (Unity Center-Masal).
Mohan Bikram Singh was elected as the General Secretary of that party and Shrestha became the Deputy General Secretary. However, the unity of the two parties did not last long, and split eventually.
In 2065, Unity Center merged with CPN (Maoist), which entered into a peaceful parliamentary system through people's war.
Then he became the vice chairman of the newly formed party.
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