The jumbo Cabinet decision was not solely ours: Sharad Yadav

Birgunj, August 9: The Janamat Party, which is leading the government, is facing heavy criticism after expanding the Madhesh province cabinet into a jumbo-sized body. Opposition parties have condemned the cabinet's enlargement, and a chair rally was conducted in Janakpur in response to the cabinet's increased size.

Chief Minister Satis Singh added 5 state ministers, increasing the cabinet to 20 members on Tuesday. Currently, there are only 8 state ministers in the province government. The Janamat Party, which advocates for a new republic, is being accused of being engaged in power-mongering, similar to other parties.

Ratopati spoke with Sharad Singh Yadav, the spokesperson for the Janamat Party, focusing on this issue. Below is an edited excerpt from the conversation:

Q: Janmat Party is a party that advocates for a new republic, but has it expanded the jumbo cabinet in the provincial government that it leads?

A: The question you asked is absolutely correct. However, we do not have sole representation in the province government. The government was formed with major and other parties involved. Therefore, the decision to expand the cabinet was not ours alone. It was a collective decision made by all parties, including the major ones.

Since we are part of a coalition government, the center instructed us to expand the cabinet. We have adhered to that directive. We are, in fact, a party that supports running the government with a smaller cabinet.

Q: How many members do you mean by a small cabinet?

A: The Janamat Party advocates for a smaller cabinet to reduce the burden on government operations. When the provincd government was formed, we raised the issue of having a smaller cabinet. We are still strongly in favor of this. Our ideal small-sized cabinet would consist of 5 experts, including the chief minister. A cabinet led by experts reduces government expenses and enhances efficiency.

If the ruling parties agree to this approach, we are prepared to recall our ministers and form a smaller-sized cabinet.

Q: After that, the cabinet was expanded according to the wishes of the major parties?

A: Yes, from our perspective, this was an unfortunate decision. Our party advocates for a new republic and supports the concept of a directly elected executive prime minister, with only the finance, foreign affairs, and defense ministries at the union level.

It is a pertinent question how a party that proposes a small cabinet at the union level could then expand the cabinet in the province government under its leadership. I want to clarify that our initial intention was to form a small-sized cabinet. However, due to the formation of the coalition government, we could not implement our party's preference.

Q: If two big parties are currently in the government, why are you sitting in the government?

A: As mentioned earlier, our party's goal is to stabilize the country's politics. We joined the government with the intention of providing political stability. We believe that political stability will lead to accelerated development, public benefit, and a reduction in corruption. We are committed to supporting political stability for the benefit of the common people.

If the coalition decides to downsize the cabinet to reduce province government expenditures, we will comply with that decision. Once the decision is made, we will recall our ministers and support the new arrangement.

We are a smaller party, and even without our participation, the two major parties could form the government. However, since our concerns are not addressed, we have joined the government for the betterment of the people and for political stability, not to promote disorder.

Q: But your party is being heavily criticized for this, isn't it?

A: This criticism is expected because our party is leading the government. There was no such criticism before our leadership. Our party has a clear stance on the Madhes government. The previous JSP (Nepal)-led government was involved in widespread irregularities. Our party does not operate in that manner, which is why there is current protest from those parties.

Nevertheless, this is not a major concern for us. We maintain that if the coalition decides to reduce the cabinet size to lower province government expenses, we will strictly follow that decision. As soon as it is decided, we will recall our ministers. We urge the alliance at the Center to revisit the practices in Madhesh Province. If successful, similar approaches could be applied elsewhere, but with an emphasis on maintaining expert participation. This approach would benefit the country.

Q: Why was such a cabinet made? What do you think?

A: To put it simply, the expanded cabinet aims to appease the leaders and cadres of the major parties. It appears that the decision to enlarge the cabinet was made to ensure cadres' satisfaction. This is my personal assessment.