The UCPN (Moaist) has proposed Secretary Leela Mani Paudyal as successor of incumbent Chief Secretary Madhav Prasad Ghimire, who is retiring on August 6. [break]With the Madhesi parties having reservations over appointment of Paudyal as the new chief secretary, no proposal for the appointment of new secretary was tabled at the cabinet meeting on Friday.
Instead, the prime minister held a separate meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar, ministers Hridayesh Tripathi and Anil Jha, in his last-ditch efforts to forge consensus on Paudyal´s appointment, said a minister preferring anonymity.
However, the meeting ended inconclusively after the Madhesi ministers said they would agree on any other name, but Paudyal. They also threatened to boycott the cabinet meeting if the cabinet appointed Paudyal as the new chief secretary, the minister told Republica.
None of the Madhesi ministers were available for comment on why they do not want Paudyal appointed as the new chief secretary.
Though the Madhesi ministers have not proposed any other name for the post of chief secretary, sources said they have been rooting for Secretary Shankar Koirala. Thirteen officials had been promoted to the post of secretaries on the same day five years ago but Paudyal and Koirala are the frontrunners.
The prime minister, according to the minister, has decided to discuss the issue in the next cabinet meeting on Sunday.
However, Finance Minister Barshaman Pun, emerging from the cabinet meeting, told media persons that the cabinet did not take up the agenda of naming the new chief secretary.
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