Kathmandu, April 30
The KP Sharma Oli government has come under fire at an ‘all-party meeting’ that Prime Minister Oli had called, at Singhadurbar, on Saturday.
At the meeting, political leaders accused the government of showing indifference towards the Madhesh crisis, failing to normalise the supply situation and failing to make the National Reconstruction Authority effective.
The United Democratic Madheshi Front did not attend the meeting, though. At the meeting, PM Oli informed that the government will present its policies and programmes next Thursday and that it will give full shape to a committee formed under Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa for resolution of disputes related to provincial boundaries. Oli’s agendas also include mobilisation of political parties’ cadres for post-quake reconstruction work.
After Oli presented the agendas, Sher Bahadur Deuba, president of the main opposition Nepali Congress, said the proposal on presenting the government’s policies and programmes without holding prebudget discussions is not acceptable to his party. Deuba maintained that the government should present policies and programmes on the basis of prebudget discussions.
At the meeting, the government drew fire for failing to spend budget earmarked for post-quake reconstruction and for failing to take initiatives for the resolution of the Madhesh crisis.
NC President Deuba said his party will not be a part of the (Thapa-led) committee as it was formed without consulting it. The Congress suggested that PM Oli himself should lead the talks (aimed at resolving the disputes related to the demarcation of provincial boundaries), party leader Mahesh Acharya said.
Even leaders of ruling parties lambasted the government for ignoring the Madhesh crisis and for delays in post-quake reconstruction. Rastriya Prajatantra Party leader Pashupati Shumsher JBR said: At this rate, reconstruction work will not complete anytime soon.
At the meeting, government ministers stood against the CPN-UML’s stance on forming a 15-member Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee. CPN-ML, RPP and Samajvadi Janata Party stood in favour of forming a 75-member PHSC like in the past. On his part, PM Oli promised to hold further discussions on the matter.
