October 25, 2024
KATHMANDU – Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has warned his opponents against ‘daydreaming’ of toppling the government.
Presenting the achievements of the government’s 100 days in office, the prime minister on Wednesday said that any attempts to break up the coalition of the two largest parties—the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML—from power would be futile.
Opposition parties, however, claim that the Oli government has been a total failure and is only focussed on protecting the corrupt.
“Some are spreading rumours that the government could collapse anytime—today or tonight or by next morning,” said Oli. “These rumours are aimed at undermining the government’s functioning.”
The prime minister also claimed that the government has good rapport with the bureaucracy.
He also asserted that the economy is showing signs of improvement and that the government is not going to compromise on issues like national interest, good governance and development.
“The economy was in chaos when we joined the government. Today there are signs of improvement. Confidence in the private sector has increased, and as per their demand, the government has formed the Economic Reform Commission,” he said.
Earlier this month, the government announced a five-member high-level commission led by former finance secretary Rameshore Khanal to recommend reforms to revitalise the economy.
Meanwhile, leaders from opposition parties have drawn the attention of President Ramchandra Paudel towards the ‘wrongdoings’ of the government.
A group of leaders including CPN (Maoist Centre) chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who is also the leader of the main opposition in the House of Representatives, on Wednesday met the President. Their meeting came two days after they submitted a 13-point memorandum to Prime Minister Oli warning him against, among other things, revising the Political Party Act, allegedly to facilitate party splits, through an ordinance.
The leaders urged the President to play a role of guardian and the custodian of the constitution while stating that the government was scheming against the constitution and pluralism, said Kiran Pokharal, press adviser to the President.
The President assured them that he was committed to fulfilling his constitutional duties and would work for national unity, Pokharel said.
However, an opposition leader who participated in the meeting told the Post that the President explained to them about the limitations of a constitutional head of state. “You know well about the limitations of my office. If the government forwards any such ordinance, I will consult you all on the matter,” the leader quoted the President as saying.
Leaders from the Rastriya Swatantra Party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, CPN (Unified Socialist) and Aam Janata Party accompanied Dahal during the visit.
The opposition parties have accused Prime Minister Oli of preparing to ease the split of other political parties by amending the Political Party Act-2017 through an ordinance. Oli, however, has denied the claims.
Opposition leaders, meanwhile, took aim at the government, accusing it of spending its first 100 days protecting corrupt individuals.
“The government has completed 100 days, and it has proven exactly what we feared when it was formed,” said Maoist Centre Chairman Dahal while receiving a memorandum from the Nepal Intellectual Organisation, which is affiliated to the Maoist Centre, on Wednesday.
“Ruling party members, civil society groups and even some people within the government have voiced dissatisfaction with the government’s performance,” Dahal said.
Other opposition party leaders have also expressed similar frustrations at ‘the poor performance of the government’.
In his address to the nation on Wednesday, the prime minister said that the government was committed to reining in corruption from any time.
“The government has begun action against cooperatives fraud. Over 600 people have already been prosecuted and as many as 575 are in jail,” he said.
But Oli avoided mentioning the arrest of Rabi Lamichhane, the president of the Rastriya Swatantra Party who is currently in police custody on charges of misusing funds from credit cooperatives in Kaski, Rupandehi, and Chitwan districts.
“Besides taking legal action, we are also trying to set up a cooperative authority in order to ensure that depositors get their money back, as well as a cooperative credit information centre, and credit tribunal to provide justice to the victims of cooperatives fraud,” said the prime minister.
He went on to claim that 70 percent of the government’s planned tasks have already been completed within the first 100 days. He took office on July 15.
Just three weeks ago, over 391 people were killed in floods and landslides across the country. Two days of continuous rainfall across the country caused extensive damage to both private and public property, including roads, highways, and several infrastructure projects.
The 391 bereaved families have received Rs200,000 each in compensation, and an additional Rs40.5 million has been distributed to another 2,555 families affected by the disaster, the prime minister said. The government has allocated Rs430 million to flood-affected 71 local units around the country, he said.
He also claimed that the government was working “on a war footing” to rebuild the damaged infrastructure, including bridges and highways, and disbursed millions of rupees in various districts to carry out the reconstruction work, repairing the bridges and highways, among others.
The prime minister also stated that the government has left no stone unturned to compensate the victims of last November’s earthquake in Jajarkot, West Rukum, Bajhang, Bajura and Doti districts.
Speaking about other sectors, the prime minister said that over three million farmers in 35 districts had not received payments for their milk supplies, but his government has provided half of the farmers their outstanding payments in the 100 days. He also said the government has released the dues to 75,000 sugarcane farmers.
Highlighting the achievements of his government, the prime minister claimed that his government has secured chemical fertilisers for the upcoming winter, released Rs800 million for agriculture insurance, and paid Rs6.75 billion dues to contractors. It also provided startup funds to 165 youths for innovative ventures.
Likewise, the government has received Rs34 billion in commitment for setting up various industrial units, the share market has rebounded, and Nepal’s sovereign credit ratings evaluation is in its final stage, the prime minister added.
Earlier in the morning, the ruling parties held a meeting to evaluate the performance of the government and discuss contemporary issues. At the meeting, the ruling coalition emphasised the need for an impartial investigation into the cooperatives scam.
The prime minister’s secretariat said the coalition parties have agreed to issue separate statements calling for fair judicial proceedings and adherence to democratic norms.
RSP chair and former home minister Rabi Lamichhane was arrested by a Central Investigation Bureau team from his party office in Kathmandu on Friday and subsequently taken to Pokhara for trial for cooperatives fraud and organised crime.
A complaint has been registered at the Kaski District Police Office accusing Lamichhane of misusing millions of rupees from a Pokhara-based cooperative.
RSP leaders, activists, and supporters have staged demonstrations in Pokhara and other places for the past few days, demanding the release of its chairman, Lamichhane.
Lamichhane and several others are accused of misappropriating funds from the Pokhara-based Suryadarshan Savings and Credit Cooperative.
His arrest followed a parliamentary probe that linked him and others to the embezzlement of millions of rupees from the cooperative. The probe panel submitted its report a month ago and the government had immediately decided to implement its findings.