Rajendra Mahato, heading the important ministry of commerce, industries and supplies, handed over his resignation late on Friday night after the Election Commission stepped in to arbitrate in a growing feud in his Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP) and de-recognised his faction.

Internal squabbles
The NSP, a party of Madhesis — people from the Terai plains — has been ridden with internal squabbles since 2003. It was split by a royalist minister who chose to support King Gyanendra while the dissident faction joined the anti-king, pro-democracy movement.

The royalist group’s fortunes fell after the king’s ouster in 2006 and the dissidents became part of the new ruling coalition.

Recently, the royalists decided to bury the hatchet and reunited with the dissidents. However, instead of strengthening the party, the unification had the opposite effect and the infighting worsened.In a bid to prove itself the legitimate NSP, the Mahato faction this month held a “general convention”, which they say was recognised by over 70 percent of the senior members.

However, the Election Commission on Friday said it recognised the other group as the bona fide party and asked Mahato to register his faction as a new party.

An enraged Mahato pulled out of the government, blaming Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and the government for the adverse verdict.

He becomes the sixth minister to quit the six-month-old Koirala cabinet. Five Maoist ministers have pulled out of the government recently, demanding an immediate abolition of monarchy.

With Mahato’s exit, the Terai factor is likely to become an issue since the government now has just one minister from the plains, where several groups have been waging separate movements alleging exclusion and neglect of plains people.

To compound difficulties for the government that is already under threat from the Maoists and other ethnic organisations, the Mahato group has called for a protest  on Sunday, the day for filing nominations for the November 22 election.

His men have warned that they would picket all Election Commission offices.
The faction has also called a three-day general strike in the Terai from October 4. October 5 is the day for filing a second set of nominations.

“We support the election but we doubt the Election Commission’s neutrality,” Mahato said.
“If it can recognise a minority faction as the bona fide party and ignore the majority faction, we fear that during the election, the plains will vote for someone and the commission will elect someone else”.
Mahato has also accused the poll panel of being manipulated by the government and the prime minister and ignoring the rights of the plains people.

His faction has redoubled efforts to forge an understanding with the different groups prevailing in the plains, including the armed ones, and form a united alliance.

However, Mahato said his faction’s protests would be peaceful.

The new development will add to the woes of the government that also faces opposition from the Maoists. The rebels have announced that on Sunday, they too would picket all district administration offices.
Meanwhile, a countdown has begun for King Gyanendra as well.

The Maoists on Friday asked Koirala to summon a special session of parliament where they would put the king’s fate to vote.
According to Nepal’s constitution, the prime minister would now have to convene the session within 15 days.