KATHMANDU, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Seven ministers from Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's government resigned on Sunday, expressing their disappointment at the move of the Cabinet to dissolve the parliament.
The ministers from Nepal Communist Party chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal and senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal's faction within the party resigned, saying they cannot remain in the government which made the unconstitutional move to dissolve the House of Representatives.
"We can not remain in the Cabinet that tool unconstitutional and undemocratic move against the people's mandate to dissolve the House," said a statement issued jointly by them. "The Cabinet made the decision despite our strong reservation."
The Nepali parliament was dissolved on Sunday after President Bidya Devi Bhandari approved the recommendation of Prime Minister Oli to end the parliament two years prior to its expiry.
Those who resigned from the Oli government are Minister for Energy Barsha Man Pun, Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation Shakti Basnet, Minister for Education Giriraj Mani Pokharel, Minister for Labor Rameshwar Raya Yadav and Minister for Drinking Water Bina Magar. Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Yogesh Bhattarai and Agriculture Minister Ghanshyam Bhusal also resigned.
Minister for Home Affairs Ram Bahadur Thapa and Minister for Industry Lekh Raj Bhatta who came from then CPN (Maoist Centre) under Dahal, however, have not tendered their resignation.
"There is no point staying in the Cabinet that takes unconstitutional and undemocratic steps," Minister Yadav told the media. Nine ministers among the 25-member Oli government were from the Dahal-Nepal faction. Enditem
