Two days after the committee’s report was filed clearing Sharma of the allegations, the president selected Janardan Sharma as finance minister on the advice of Prime Minister Deuba. Janardan Sharma was reappointed as finance minister early yesterday by CPN (Maoist Centre) leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
According to critics, the appointment has exposed many aspects of the Deuba and Dahal connection disguised behind the mask of a political alliance. They argue that Janardan Sharma’s return to the Finance Ministry demonstrates how important a link he has provided between Deuba and Dahal.
The UML strongly demanded a probe committee, but it was primarily ineffective because, according to critics, its investigation strategy was flawed from the beginning.
The committee’s methods of operation and documents created more issues than they answered, which was not their primary intention. They claimed that choosing to re-appoint a controversial figure as the finance minister surprised many Congress leaders. They claim that this action, made so close to the elections, would be bad for the party.