The ministers of the civilian government formed under the leadership of Prime Minister Sushila Karki, with a 'mandate' to hold elections, are active in party politics.

After repeated questions were raised from the public, Prime Minister Karki himself has named and asked for the resignation of ministers Kulman Ghising, Jagdish Kharel and Bablu Gupta. But even when the Prime Minister asked for their resignation, they have been delaying.

Ghising, who held the responsibility of three ministries - energy, water resources and irrigation, physical infrastructure and urban development, was unofficially the patron of the Ujjaya Nepal Party.

He is currently the senior vice-chairman of the National Independent Party. Similarly, Sports Minister Gupta was also active in the decisive meeting to unify the Ujjaya Nepal Party and the Rashtriya Swatantra Party. Kharel has also been speaking publicly in favor of the Rashtriya Swatantra Party. However, all three ministers say that they are not active in any party. 

After public criticism, Prime Minister Karki has asked for their resignations in the Council of Ministers meeting itself. ‘Friends who are preparing to contest the elections are free to participate in the elections and be candidates,’ Prime Minister Karki had said at the beginning and end of Monday’s cabinet meeting, ‘You should support us by separating from the government.’ 

A minister told Kantipur, ‘The Prime Minister said that we are a civilian government, and that criticism is being made outside that we are a government of a single party. This is not good. It is better for you to separate. You should not remain in the ministry.’ 

President Ram Chandra Poudel appointed Karki as the Prime Minister on 27 Bhadra with a ‘mandate’ to hold elections after the Gen-G rebellion. In an interview given immediately after becoming Prime Minister, Karki had said that no party-affiliated person would be a minister in her cabinet. She had claimed that it was a civilian government formed to hold elections. But after Ghising, Kharel and Gupta started becoming active in political parties, Prime Minister Karki faced a moral crisis. 

Another minister said that the Prime Minister had already instructed the ministers to resign after exercising their discretion. ‘Everyone has started talking about a party-specific government, the Prime Minister has asked the ministers to resign saying that this is not good for the government and the upcoming elections,’ the minister said, ‘The Prime Minister has given suggestions and instructions, now the ministers will decide the rest.’

Minister Ghising had registered the Ujjaya Nepal Party under his patronage to participate in the elections. The party, led by former Energy Secretary Anup Upadhyay, has merged with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Ghising has become the senior vice president of the RSS. He has also got a quota of 18 MPs in the proportional list for the House of Representatives elections in the RSS.

But Minister Ghising claimed that he is not a member of any party. "I am not a member of any party yet," he told Kantipur on Tuesday evening. "There is still time to register my candidacy. If I have to become a candidate, I will leave the government." Minister Kharel had publicly welcomed the merger of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balendra Shah and Minister Ghising into one party. Kharel, who is a minister, has also been questioned publicly after welcoming the decision of a party. After the 7-point agreement between the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Kathmandu Mayor Shah on December 13, 

Minister Kharel had written on social media, "A new day, a new beginning, the dream of a beautiful and prosperous Nepal, the destination is being decided." After questions were raised on this issue, Prime Minister Karki also targeted Kharel in Monday's cabinet meeting and asked for his resignation.

Minister Kharel, however, told Kantipur that he was not a member of any party and was working with the sole goal of holding elections. ‘I am not involved in any party, I have not participated in any party activity, I have not been a candidate, I have not even said that I will contest the election,’ he said. ‘It is true that the people wish that I would contest the election.’

The 28-year-old junior minister Gupta was active in the talks on unity between the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Ujjain Nepal. When the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Ujjain Nepal parties united on December 14 and reached a 7-point agreement, Gupta was at the talks along with the leaders of those parties.