UML central committee meet, and its conclusions

The CPN-UML has concluded the seventh meeting of its central committee with 22-point declarations and programs of action on a host of intra-party and national political issues. 

The meeting has decided to focus on party building rather than making efforts to change the government. The party has recognized several intra-party issues that need to be addressed to keep the party united. 

Soon after the 2022 general elections, the UML launched ‘Mission Grassroots’ and ‘Sankalpa Yatra’ (Resolution March) aimed at enhancing the party’s strength. But according to party leaders, the two programs did not bring the desired results. 

The conclusions, drawn by nine groups of the UML central committee, were presented at the meeting. Kashi Nath Adhikari presented the suggestions on behalf of the party’s standing committee, Ghanashyam Khatiwada from Koshi, Chandreshwar Mandal from Madhes, Kailash Dhungel from Bagmati, Navaraj Sharma from Gandaki, Radhakrishna Kandel from Lumbini, Gulanjung Shah from Karnali, Krishna Prasad Jaisi from Sudurpashchim, and Pema Lama from the department, valley, liaison, and diaspora group.

In their suggestions, the groups said that the general public is disaffected with the current government for its governance deficiencies, economic failures, corruption, insecurity, and inflation. On the party front, they emphasized the need to promote discipline, financial transparency, and moral conduct.

Addressing the concluding ceremony of the meeting, UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli urged the central committee members to put in all efforts to ensure a UML-led majority government after the 2027 general elections.

General Secretary Shankar Pokharel responded to the questions raised by party leaders. He said that the UML was executing the annual action plan, renewing party membership, ensuring the systematic operation of the party school, and collaborating with the party’s people’s representatives for their effective performance.

The UML central committee has concluded that due to unsuited individuals governing the state, the republic system was facing various challenges, with national interests taking a back seat and foreign relations becoming immature and imbalanced.

The party has resolved to utilize all its strength to bolster the democratic republic system, foster the idea of prosperous Nepal, fulfill the national aspirations of contented Nepalis, safeguard national interests and dignity, and ensure a bright future for the country.

Stating that the government has failed to expedite capital spending and that tax revenue is falling short of covering government expenses, and delays in releasing payments to contractors for completed projects have hampered the implementation of development initiatives, the UML has pledged to take meaningful action to address these issues. 

The central committee has also called for the resignation implicated in various scandals, including the deaths of two youths in the Balkumari area of Lalitpur on 29 Dec 2023.  

Highlighting the plight of loan shark victims marched all the way to Kathmandu to demand for justice, the UML has demanded that the government take strong action against greedy usurers and deliver justice to the victims. The party has also expressed sympathy towards the protests of the victims of cooperatives and microcredit institutions, and called on the government to safeguard the deposits of ordinary people. 

Stating that dairy farmers, who faced significant losses due to a lumpy skin outbreak, have been unable to receive payments totaling more than Rs 6bn from dairy producers, the UML has urged the government to demonstrate a serious commitment to supporting farmers. According to the party, the government has reduced subsidies based on production and ceased subsidizing farm insurance premiums, promoting the import of powdered milk, instead of boosting domestic production. The party has called on the government to address long-term land issues, implement a system for distributing identification cards after identifying and categorizing farmers, and allocate grants and subsidies to incentivize farming. 

The UML has urged the government to take needful measures to ensure a stable market for farm products, eradicate middlemen, and safeguard citizens from the impacts of climate change. It has also urged the government to control inflation and ensure the smooth supply of daily necessities.

The UML central committee has demanded that the government promptly release the grant funds for quake-affected families to construct temporary homes, and immediately bring plans for their reconstruction and rehabilitation without delay. Thirty-eight survivors of the Jajarkot earthquake have died due to the cold winter because of government indifference, the party said.

The UML has urged the government to devise concrete strategies to stop political meddling in the higher education sector. The party has also demanded action against the perpetrators who attacked 16 members of its student wing at Lamjung Agriculture and Livestock Campus.

The UML has criticized the diplomatic failure on the part of the government to secure the release of Bipin Joshi, who has been held hostage by Hamas since the attack on Israel by Hamas in October last year. The party has called for a lasting peace in the Middle East and advocated for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state as proposed by the United Nations. 

The party has also called out the government’s ineffectiveness to bring back the Nepali youths working for the Russian army. 

Regarding the power trade agreement with India, the UML has expressed concerns that certain provisions go against the national interest. Instead of resolving issues related to long-pending projects like Pancheshwar and Upper Karnali, the UML said that the government awarded key projects such as West Seti, Seti-6, and Phukot Karnali to Indian developers without the competitive bidding process. The UML has demanded that the government make public all agreements, understandings, and arrangements made for energy production and trade to safeguard Nepal’s national interests in natural resources and to ensure competitive arrangements in energy production and distribution.

The party has also expressed its concerns regarding the activities of some groups to disrupt social harmony by stoking social and religious tensions. The UML has claimed that some individuals within the government are involved in such activities. Thep party has called upon people of all languages, castes, religions, and cultures to remain vigilant against any actions that undermine social harmony, to identify those responsible for such acts, and to contribute to strengthening social harmony and national unity.

The UML has also raised objections to the release of individuals involved in the death of its activist Chetan Aidy, who was killed by Nepali Congress workers during the 2022 general elections, under the political pressure and influence. Such incidents undermine the rule of law, erode public confidence in the judiciary, and perpetuate impunity, the party has said.