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The CPN (Unified Socialist) has demanded the pro-people budget.

The Parliamentary Party meeting presided over by Party Chairman and former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal decided to raise people's concern vibrantly in the forthcoming federal parliament session and suggest to the government that it made policies and programs constructive.

Chief Whip of the party Metmani Chaudhari informed that they would play an active role in the Parliament.

The meeting attended by the party's lawmakers also dwelt on contemporary issues and latest political development.

National politics is becoming increasingly unpredictable, with doubts arising about the stability of the five-party coalition government. A significant blow came with the Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal experiencing a split, as seven lawmakers and 30 central committee members formed a new party under Ashok Rai.

The Election Commission on Monday issued a certificate of political party to the Rai faction of JSP as per the Political Party Act. However, there are no clear legal provisions regarding the party formation process in case an existing party splits. 

In 2021, the government led by the Nepali Congress had issued an ordinance to amend the Act to ease the split of political parties. Based on that ordinance Madhav Kumar Nepal and Mahantha Thakur formed new parties, the CPN (Unified Socialist) and the Loktantrik Samajbadi Party, after splitting from the UML and JSP, respectively. The ordinance has since been repealed. 

The establishment faction of the JSP led by Upendra Yadav has argued that since the ordinance is no longer in effect, the new party under Rai cannot be legitimate.

Meanwhile, those lawmakers who have broken away from JSP claim that their actions were prompted by the intention to preserve the current coalition, as party Chairman Yadav, also the deputy prime minister and health minister, was considering withdrawing support from the government to form a new one. 

The latest development signifies the beginning of further rifts within both large and small parties, either to maintain or challenge the current government. The situation echoes the turbulence of the early 1990s, characterized by party splits, political maneuvering, and the manipulation of lawmakers. 

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and his primary coalition partner KP Sharma Oli of CPN-UML are focused on retaining power or engineering government changes. 

JSP leaders say Prime Minister Dahal and CPN-UML KP Sharma Oli played significant roles in orchestrating the split to prevent the current coalition from slipping into a minority position in Parliament. Even if Yadav were to withdraw support, the current coalition is likely to retain a comfortable majority, with the assurance of the Rai-led JSP to support the Dahal-led government.

Another coalition partner, CPN (Unified Socialist), has also expressed discontent with the current arrangement, with its Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal publicly stating concerns about the government's stability. His recent remarks about certain leaders' reluctance to see him as prime minister hint at underlying tensions within this coalition. Nepal's dissatisfaction with provincial-level governance and appointments also suggests a deeper rift within the coalition.  

With a split in JSP, the Unified Socialist faces the challenge of keeping the party intact. There are suspicions that to prevent the current coalition from slipping into minority, Dahal and Oli could try to divide the Unified Socialist as well. 

The initial formation of the current coalition on March 4 saw Prime Minister Dahal sever ties with the NC in favor of incorporating UML and RSP. Within months of its formation, another specter of coalition split looms large.  The future remains uncertain, with no clear indication of how many more changes in government will precede the 2027 national elections. 

Nepal and Yadav are said to be in talks with the main opposition, Nepali Congress, to form a new government. There are reports that NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba, Yadav, and Nepal have reached an agreement to lead a new government on a rotational basis until the next elections. 

The Nepali Congress, particularly Deuba and his supporters, are actively seeking to dismantle the Dahal-led government, proposing Unified Socialist Chairman Nepal as a potential prime ministerial candidate. However, opinions within the Nepali Congress vary regarding the formation of a new coalition, with some advocating for an alliance with JSP, RSP, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, and other fringe parties.

Deuba and his supporters were working to secure 138 seats (NC-88, RPP-14, JSP-12, CPN Unified Socialist-10, Janatmat-6, Nagarik Unmukti-4 and Loktantrik Samajbadi-4) required to form a new coalition. But with the JSP split, the NC is not in the position to secure the majority votes. 

Efforts to stabilize the government are also ongoing, with discussions between NC senior leader Shekhar Koirala and UML Chairman Oli about a potential collaboration between the two largest parties. However, opinions within UML are divided on this matter, with many opposing cooperation with the NC, their main competitor.

While Dahal and Oli may succeed in preserving the coalition, there is still risk of it falling into minority. Home Minister and RSP Chairman Rabi Lamichaane is under pressure to resign and facilitate the investigation against him for his alleged involvement in embezzlement of cooperatives money. If the government agrees to form a parliamentary probe panel as demanded by the NC, Lamichhane will have to resign. In that context, it is not certain whether the RSP will remain in the government. Calls within RSP to exit the government are growing, particularly following disappointing results in the Ilam-2 by-elections. 

The upcoming budget session of the House of Representatives, scheduled for May 10, adds further uncertainty. The NC has threatened to obstruct parliamentary proceedings unless a panel is formed to investigate cooperative scandals, potentially complicating the government's ability to present the budget. 

The Ashok Rai-led Janata Samajbadi Party acquired a party registration certificate from the Election Commission (EC).

The Election Commission handed the party registration certification to Rai on Sunday evening.

A meeting of the commissioners of the Election Commission held on Sunday gave recognition to the JSP as a party in accordance with the Political Party Act 2073 and Rule 5 of the Regulation on Political Parties Act 2074.

Earlier on Sunday, Rai along with seven lawmakers had filed an application at the Election Commission for the registration of a new party.

The new party led by Rai has seven lawmakers including Pradeep Yadav, Renu Yadav, Nawal Kishor Sah Sudi, Birendra Mahato, Ranju Kumari, Hasina Khan and Sushila Shrestha.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha has asserted that the government has left no stone unturned for the rescue and repatriation of Nepali citizens from the war-torn countries.

Speaking in a meeting of the Federalism Consolidation and National Concerns Committee today, he said that they have demanded the exact number of Nepalis working in the Russian Army, information on their status, repatriation of the bodies of those killed in the war, compensation to be provided to the victims' families and returning the Nepalis in the Russian Army by rescinding the agreement to that connection with the Russian government.

The DPM and foreign minister said the government has the information that the Nepalis are recruited in the Russian Army, several of them have been injured and are in distress, several Nepalis have been captured by Ukrainian Army and many have been killed, reiterating that the government was making all diplomatic efforts for their rescue and return to Nepal.

"By agreeing on compensation, the Russian government has now started the process for the same. We have already forwarded the necessary documents for that," he said, adding - "We have demanded that the Nepalis recruited in the Russian Army be sent back to Nepal at the earliest.”

Minister Shrestha said that he is in continuous talks with the Russian foreign minister and is also trying to talk directly with the Russian Defense Ministry. "We have also demanded the return of those who are held as POW by Ukraine. For this, we are talking with the Ministry of Defense along with the Foreign Minister of Russia," he said.

The DPM and foreign minister mentioned that every possible efforts are being made for the return of Nepali citizens from war-torn countries. "If necessary, we have even offered to go to Russia and hold talks," Foreign Minister Shrestha said.

Deputy Prime Minister Shrestha informed that Bipin Joshi has been captured by Hamas, but he has not been officially informed about Joshi's condition.

According to him, he is requesting the release of Joshi from the country that is mediating for peace between the war-torn countries.

"In the war between Israel and Hamas, our opinion so far is that Bipin Joshi is under the control of Hamas. But information about Joshi's situation has not been received formally and through official channels, and we have not been able to get him released," he said.

Responding to the questions raised during the meeting by the members of the committee about the Nepal-India border issue and EPG, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Shrestha informed that the Susta and Kalapani border disputes are still under formal discussion.

He said that all dimensions of Nepal-India relations should be resolved through diplomatic discussions.

Deputy Prime Minister Shrestha informed the committee that homework is being done to open 14 trade checkpoints between Nepal and China and discussions are underway to create an economic corridor. "Relationships with China have progressed in the economic diplomacy realm, the basis of relations with China has become stronger," he said.

In the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Shrestha said that the government, public bodies, leadership and political parties have been requested to follow the diplomatic code of conduct. He also informed the meeting that it is necessary to enhance the institutional capacity of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In the meeting about Nepal's foreign policy, the works carried out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and subordinate agencies, economic diplomacy, and problems and future action plans, Minister Shrestha also said that they are going to create a separate department to emphasize on economic diplomacy.

He said that provinces and municipalities cannot establish foreign relations by themselves, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is assigning its representative to the provincial government.

The Ministry has established diplomatic relations with 182 countries so far. Currently, Nepal has 30 embassies in different countries, and permanent missions in New York in the United States, Vienna in Austria and Geneva in Switzerland, and seven Consulate Generals.