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The Rastriya Swatantra Party has concluded that the Nepali Congress has been trying to invite political instability in the country.

A Parliamentary Party meeting of the Rastriya Swatantra Party held in Singha Durbar on Tuesday concluded that the Congress has been trying to invite political instability in the country by not allowing the House to function smoothly at the behest of someone else.

Although the party is clear that the parliamentary probe committee will not be formed in the cooperative scam, assistant spokesperson Manish Jha said that the party, however, will accept the all-party decision of the ruling coalition.

He said that the meeting discussed the preparations of the next session of the Parliament and budget.

Informing about the current political situation in the meeting, the Congress has been trying to bring conflict in the coalition.

Jeetendra Dev is a leader of the Nepali Congress. As a senior politician, he closely observes Nepal’s foreign policy and international relations. In this context, ApEx talked with him about the various aspects of Nepal-India relations.

How do you see the current state of Nepal-India relations?

Nepal and India have an age-old historic as well as civilizational relationship. This is the relation of emotion, daily life and shared destiny. We are interlinked with an umbilical cord towards shared destiny. Nowhere in the world could we see such a relationship between the two sovereign countries. On top of that we should never forget that this relation was not made by any government, parties or individuals; rather it was made by civilization, history and by the people itself and this bond is unbreakable.

After this we have the Peace and Friendship Treaty of 1950 and the international border is open as well as there is no passport and visa system. We have deep and fruitful political relations too. We have a wider range of dimensions and paraphernalia of socio-economic cooperation. For this purpose the Indian Aid Mission was set up in 1954 which was later transformed into Indian Cooperation Mission in 1966.

Nepal has been receiving socio-economic support and cooperation through this mission in the sector of connectivity, education, health, power generation, irrigation, flood control, empowerment of government agencies, and various community development projects. 

Overall, Nepal-India socio-economic cooperation is growing day by day and bilateral relationship is strengthening and getting deeper in mutual interest and advantages.

What is the current state of economic collaboration between the two countries ?

First of all, I believe that we are not distinguishing and differentiating between political and economic issues. Political issues should be tackled and resolved through political and diplomatic means and it must not be linked with economic issues. Nepal needs development and prosperity. For this we need investment and friend’s financial support. We cannot move forward without the support of our friends. Our public revenue is low, capital expenditure is low, economic activities are slow, investors are not attracting for investment, donors and friendly countries are becoming suspicious on our policies and dealings, we need employment generation activities to boost up the economy and to be graduated in middle income country in 2026 as well as to achieve SDG goals, among others. So the government and the political parties must bring the economic agenda to the forefront in the interest of the people and the country.

What should be our policy to enhance economic relationships?

It needs political trust and deep understanding between the political leadership of both countries and also the investment friendly environment in Nepal. We should be free from the mentality of skepticism and cynicism. In the present international order, bilateral economic relations can only be strengthened and made vibrant if there is a political trust. We only can garner maximum benefit from Indian economic powerhouse when we feel that India is our number one friend. When we enter this new thought, the whole bilateral scenario will move in a new positive direction.

Why are we failing to attract Indian investment?

As I explained above, I again say that for this, political trust and an investment friendly environment are needed. It is so nice that we are going to hold the Third Investment Summit at the end of April. For this purpose we have amended some Acts through ordinances to create an investment friendly atmosphere in the country. Now we have to strengthen inclusive democracy in the country as well as to bring good governance and maintain excellent relationships with our neighbor as well as other friendly countries.

What are your suggestions for the political parties to redefine bilateral relations in the changing context?

We have to review and reassess our whole political, socio-economic and foreign policies. Nepal needs inclusive and participatory democracy. Nepal should bring its socio-economic agenda on top priority. We need an employment generating economy and good governance. There is a need for a good and clean image of the political leadership.

We have to restructure and reorient our foreign policy. New priority should be drawn. We have to review our neighbor policy. I have the feeling that our India policy is not pragmatic and perfect. We have to keep in mind that India is our next door number one friend. If we take such a policy, the whole bilateral scenario will move to change in a new dimension and new vistas of economic cooperation will open and at the due course of time all our other bilateral unresolved issues will be solved.

The Nepali Congress has said that the governments in Lumbini and Sudurpaschim Provinces were formed in an unconstitutional way.

The Congress said that the Constitution has not given the right to the province chief to take decisions for any political party.

“Governments are currently being formed in the provinces in an unconstitutional way. The process of forming the government in Gandaki and Sudurpaschim Provinces was unconstitutional. The Congress has strong objections to the governments being formed in an constitutional way,” Congress spokesperson Prakash Sharan Mahat said.

He said that the province government has even violated the order of the Supreme Court.

In the case of the Gandaki Province government, the Supreme Court had issued an interim order not to take a decision that would have long-term effects.

The Gandaki government has been splitting the ministry and making important appointments against the same, the NC said.

“The coalition has even breached the order of the Supreme Court. Appointments are also being made in an illegal way,” leader Mahat said.

Defying the Supreme Court’s order, the province government’s decision was against the interim order, he viewed.

Similarly, Mahat said that the CPN-UML-CPN (Maoist Center) took a wrong step in the Koshi Province also.

He said that the UML-Maoist Center alliance was unnatural. The Congress leader further said that the unnatural coalition will collapse soon.

Nepali Congress has objected to the government’s decision to prorogue the winter session of the Federal Parliament.

A meeting of the Parliamentary Party held on Sunday morning concluded that the government has been ignoring the demand of the main opposition to form a parliamentary probe committee to investigate the alleged involvement of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Rabi Lamichhane in the cooperative fraud.

Congress Chief Whip Ramesh Lekhak mentioned that the government has been turning a blind to the demand of the party.

“There should be a serious and meaningful dialogue on the demand of the Nepali Congress to form a parliamentary probe committee to investigate charges against Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane. But the government has been moving ahead against the parliamentary norms and values,” he said, adding, “The government should be serious on the people’s demand. The parliamentary practice cannot be undermined.”

He said that the Congress has not obstructed the Parliament, instead the House is being obstructed due to the irresponsibility of the government.

Congress has strongly condemned the government's decision to end the winter session.

Leader Lekhak said that the government has unexpectedly prorogued the winter session of the federal Parliament.

The main opposition party, the Nepali Congress, has been obstructing parliamentary meetings for the past few days demanding the formation of a parliamentary committee to probe the alleged involvement of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs in a cooperative fraud. However, ruling parties do not agree with the NC’s demand, stating that there is no solid evidence of the minister’s involvement in the misappropriation of cooperative funds. 

While political parties have every right to stage protests in the Parliament, they should never forget that rights come with responsibilities attached. In Nepal’s context, major parties have misused this right to protest all too often by holding the parliament hostage for fulfilling their petty interests. In essence, all major parties are responsible for not allowing a smooth, independent and effective functioning of the parliament. This practice seriously hampers the law-making process and deliberations on the people’s agendas.

A case in point: It has been a decade since Nepal formally adopted federalism, but dozens of laws are yet to be formulated, giving successive governments opportunities to rule through ordinances without parliamentary scrutiny. 

Therefore, it’s time for all major parties—the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and the CPN (Maoist Center)—to realize their mistakes and vow to never obstruct the parliament again by keeping in mind that such obstructions have never benefited them as they have to reach a compromise solution sooner than later.  Allowing the parliament to work independently is crucial, especially at a time when voices against the current political system are getting stronger and regressive parties are questioning the relevance of the current political system by pointing toward a dysfunctional parliament. 

The time has come for the parties to put an end to such obstructions once and for all—like they did with Nepal Bandh protests in view of tremendous hardships caused to the people—and allow the House to fulfill its duties, given that several urgent bills, including those related to the 2024 Nepal Investment Summit, remain pending in the House. 

A declining public trust toward the parliament resulting from the tendency of using the sovereign body to make or break a government and pursue various other petty interests should also act as a wake-up call for the main opposition and other parties to end such obstructions and get back to business. The sooner they do it, the better.

Speaker Devraj Ghimire has called a meeting of the House of Representatives for April 14.

After Speaker Ghimire tried to run the meeting of the Parliament today, the main opposition Nepali Congress, Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Loktantrik Samajbadi Party lawmakers chanted slogans and obstructed the meeting.

Following the obstruction, the Speaker announced the termination of today's proceedings and summoned the next meeting for 2 pm on April 14.

The Congress has been demanding the formation of a parliamentary probe committee to investigate cooperative fraud charges against Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Rabi Lamichhane.

The party has been saying that it would not allow the House to proceed with its business until the parliamentary probe committee is formed.

Nepali Congress lawmakers Dhanraj Gurung, Badri Pandey and Jeevan Pariyar have registered a proposal of public importance in the parliament regarding the investigation of wealth and assets of public office holders and their families. 

The proposal, registered with the Task Management Branch of the House of Representatives on April 9, falls within the ambit of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Interestingly, the main opposition party has been obstructing the House session demanding a parliamentary probe into Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane’s alleged involvement in misappropriation of funds deposited in a Pokhara-based financial cooperative.  

If the proposal is discussed in the parliament, Home Minister Lamichhane will have to furnish replies on the matter.

“There’s a prevailing practice of forming a high-level commission to investigate the wealth and assets of public office holders. A judicial investigation panel was formed on 8 March 2002 to investigate the wealth and assets of all incumbent and retired public office holders accumulated till 1990. The panel’s report needs to be made public,” the proposal undersigned by Gurung, Pandey and Pariyar states.

The Congress lawmakers argue that while the Corruption Prevention Act, 2003 stipulates a mandatory condition of wealth and asset disclosure applicable to all public position holders and their families, it remains unimplemented. The lawmakers have sought effective implementation of the anti-graft legislations to curb corruption and irregularities, maintain public trust in governance, make the activities of public office bearers transparent, accountable and responsible.

One of their chief demands is conducting a parliamentary discussion on publicizing the report, submitted by the judicial investigation panel formed in 2002, detailing the wealth and assets of public office holders and their families. They have also called for a continued scrutiny of their assets beyond the reporting period.

Key demands

• Unveiling and and implementation of the report on the fortunes of public office holders and their families submitted by the judicial panel formed 22 years ago
• Investigation into the properties of public position holders, including incumbent and retired prime ministers, ministers, members of parliament, chief ministers, provincial ministers, elected local government officers and their close family members
• Formation of a separate commission to investigate the wealth and assets under the ownership of past and present public office holders, as well as their family members

The Nepali Congress has decided to field Bishu Devi Pudasaini as its candidate for the post of National Assembly vice-chair.

A Parliamentary Party meeting held this morning made the decision to this effect.

Pudasaini, who became a common candidate from the then Congress-Maoist alliance, was elected from Bagmati Province.

The filing of nominations will be held at the Lhotse Hall of the federal Parliament building today for the election of National Assembly vice-chair scheduled for Wednesday, the Parliament Secretariat said.

According to the Secretariat, the filing of nominations will be held from 11:45 am to 1:45 pm.

Urmila Aryal, who was elected as the National Assembly vice-chair unopposed on January 17, 2023, resigned from the post on March 28.

The main opposition Nepali Congress is to obstruct the Parliament meeting.

A meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party held this morning has decided not to allow the House to function if the parliamentary committee is not formed to probe cooperative fraud charges against Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Rabi Lamichhane, Chief Whip Ramesh Lekhak said.

He said that Home Minister Lamichhane was involved in misappropriating the cooperative funds.

Leader Lekhak was of the opinion that the Parliament cannot move ahead without forming a parliamentary probe committee.

He said that the government will be held responsible if the proceedings of the federal Parliament are obstructed.

Over a month has passed since Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal dissolved his alliance with the Nepali Congress (NC) to form a new coalition with the CPN-UML and other parties, including the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP).

Dahal’s rationale for the shift in political alliance was his belief that the Congress ministers hindered his work, necessitating a fresh start for the government. However, there’s been little improvement in Dahal’s approach. He continues to repeat past mistakes, such as frequently transferring government secretaries and prioritizing ceremonial functions over office duties.

Meanwhile, the NC, as the main opposition, has been vocal about addressing pressing issues such as investigating Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane for his alleged involvement in the misappropriation of financial cooperative deposits. 

The Dahal government has also failed to address other key issues such as amending more than one dozen laws targeting the upcoming investment summit, improving the country’s economy and stopping mass exodus of youths to foreign countries.

Despite the UML showing considerable support for the Dahal government, internal dissatisfaction is growing regarding its performance. The UML leadership, led by KP Sharma Oli, has refrained from criticizing the government publicly but is privately concerned.

What will UML do if the Dahal government cannot deliver on his promises and goes on to become even more unpopular? The UML leaders do not have a definite answer to it. One glue that is likely to keep the Maoist-UML together is the dream of reviving the left unity. While Prime Minister Dahal says the Maoist and UML could ultimately form a left unity, UML leaders do not seem so optimistic. They view the coalition primarily as a ruling alliance, not a true leftist collaboration.

However, second-rung leaders from the Maoists and UML say that in the face of emergence of new political parties and growing public frustration, formation of left unity is imperative for the survival of both parties. Furthermore, they say the NC’s commitment to the 2015 constitution, particularly on secularism, is wavering and that left parties should come together to protect those achievements.  

“This was also one of the reasons that led Prime Minister Dahal to break alliance because the Nepali Congress was planning to make a proposal of referendum to decide on secularism,” said on Maoist leader. He added though the parties are under pressure to reconsider secularism, at least the Maoists and UML are unlikely to agree on it.

While these agenda are likely to keep the two parties together, it is still a difficult task because there are many differences among the communist parties. The first one is obviously a power-sharing among the key leaders of communist parties such as Maoist, UML and CPN (Unified Socialist). As per the informal agreement, Prime Minister Dahal will hand over the government leadership to Oli; and it is uncertain whether CPN-UML (Unified Socialist) Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal will lead the government.

Amid all this, the potential for collaboration between NC and UML is gaining traction. Prominent NC figures, including Dr Shekhar Koirala, Gagan Thapa, and Bishwa Prakash Sharma, have signaled openness to cooperation with the UML to address public concerns and foster political stability. 

Even Sher Bahadur Deuba, NC’s president, has expressed willingness to engage with the UML, reflecting a growing consensus within the NC on the necessity of cooperation. His regret over past decisions reflects a growing consensus within the NC that cooperation with the UML is essential for addressing the public’s disenchantment and fostering a more stable political environment. 

NC leader Koirala, who leads the anti-establishment faction of NC, is at the forefront of leaders advocating for NC-UML cooperation. Of late, he has increased the frequency of meetings with UML leaders. Talking to reporters at Biratnagar Airport last week, he said that the NC and UML need to unite to bring stability and development to the country.

He said the new UML-Maoist Center coalition can neither deliver economic development nor provide political stability. “The new constitution could only be drafted when the NC and UML came together. There is no alternative to these two parties uniting for the country’s development,” he said. “It has become clear that there won’t be stability in provincial governments. If we want to bring stability and development to the country, NC and UML must come together.” 

The UML, too, appears receptive to collaboration. Oli, during the previous presidential election, hinted at the possibility of political shifts, indicating a willingness to adapt. 

If there is an agreement, UML Chairman Oli is likely to lead the government in the first phase and hand over the power to NC President Deuba to hold the elections in 2027. 

Interestingly, PM Dahal and Oli have differences over the nature of the new alliance. While Dahal insists that the long-term plan is to achieve left unity through this coalition, Oli is not willing to accept this alliance as a coalition yet. 

“What we have created is essentially a power equation. We all have different plans and election manifesto,” Oli said, addressing the Kaski District Convention of UML in Pokhara a few days ago. It clearly shows that both Oli and Dahal do not have a concrete plan for a long-term cooperation.

The main opposition Nepali Congress has decided not to allow Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane, who is suspected to be involved in the cooperatives scam, to address from rostrum.

An office bearers’ meeting of the party held in Budhanilkantha has decided to bar Home Minister Lamichhane from taking the rostrum as Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has answered on behalf of the government.

Congress Parliamentary Party Chief Whip Ramesh Lekhak said that the meeting has concluded that there is no alternative to forming a parliamentary committee to investigate cooperative fraud charges against Home Minister Lamichhane.

He said that they demanded the formation of a probe committee as the Prime Minister’s answers on cooperative scam were not satisfactory.

The Congress , the largest party in the lower house, has called a meeting of the parliamentary working committee and Parliamentary Party on Tuesday morning to decide on a new strategy after understanding the views of the ruling parties in the meeting called by the Speaker this afternoon.

According to the Speaker’s press advisor Shekhar Adhikari, the Speaker has called Prime Minister and CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Congress President and main opposition party leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and Home Minister and Rastriya Swatantra Party President Lamichhane in Singha Durbar at 2 pm today hold a discussion on contemporary political issues.

The Congress has continuously been raising questions against Lamichhane after the formation of a new equation and being appointed as the Home Minister.

Nepali Congress Gandaki has urged the province chief not to appoint the chief minister unconstitutionally.

Nepali Congress Parliamentary Party leader Surendra Pandey made such a request to the province chief after CPN-UML Parliamentary Party leader Khagraj Adhikari staked a claim for the post of chief minister.

He said that the process to appoint the chief minister unconstitutionally should be stopped.

With the support of 31 Province Assembly members of CPN-UML, CPN (Maoist Center) and one independent, Adhikari submitted the claim for the chief ministerial post to the province chief today.

The Nepali Congress has 27 lawmakers and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party has two lawmakers.

The Nepali Congress is holding meetings of its parliamentary board and Central Work Execution Committee today to finalize candidates for the by-elections in Ilam constituency 1 and Bajhang Province Assembly (1) scheduled for April 27.

Information and Publicity Department Chief of the party Min Bahadur Bishwokarma informed that the meetings will be held later this afternoon to finalize candidates for the by-elections from the party.

The meetings will be held under the chairmanship of party President and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba at 2 pm.  Initially, the parliamentary board meeting will decide on the candidates and the Central Work Execution Committee will endorse it, he added.

The NC officer bearers, former office bearers and top leaders had held discussions on Monday evening about possible candidates.

The Election Commission has already made public a schedule for the April 27 by-elections as per which parties need to file candidacy by April 6.

A meeting of the Nepali Congress Central Work Execution Committee has been summoned for April 2.

According to NC central office chief secretary Krishna Prasad Poudel, the meeting is scheduled to take place at 2 pm on Tuesday at the private residence of party President Sher Bahadur Deuba in Budhanilkantha.

Committee office-bearers and members are directed to attend the meeting.

Nepali Congress, Bagmati Province has directed its Parliamentary Party in the Province Assembly (PA) to vote against Chief Minister Shalikram Jamarkattel.

A meeting of the NC Bagmati Work Execution Committee held today under the chair of NC Bagmati President Indra Bahadur Baniya instructed the entire PA members from the party to vote against the Chief Minister. They have been asked not to stay neutral in the process of vote of confidence for Jamarkattel.

Bagmati CM Jamarkattel is to seek a vote of confidence on April 1, Monday.

NC Parliamentary Party leader for the Province, Bahadur Singh Lama, has been asked to implement the instruction.

Jamarkattel is required to obtain 56 votes for the vote of confidence. The 110-member PA consists of 37 members from the NC, 27 from the CPN-UML, 21 from the Maoist Center, 13 from the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, seven from the CPN (Unified Socialist), three from Nepal Workers and Peasants' Party and two from the Hamro Nepali Party.

The main opposition party Nepali Congress has called for forming a parliamentary committee to investigate the linking of Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Rabi Lamichhane in the cooperatives’ fraud.

Nepali Congress leader Sanjaya Kumar Gautam said, "This is also the issue of ethics. The government should be serious on this (the linking of DPM Lamichhane's name in the cooperative fraud). A parliamentary probe committee should be formed in this connection."

He contended that a doubt has arisen regarding how justice can be done on this topic based on the Prime Minister's replies in Parliament and the Police Chief's response on this topic in the parliamentary committee meeting.

Stating that the main opposition party Nepali Congress is well aware of the fact that the Parliament should not be held hostage over certain demands, he called upon the government also to be serious regarding its responsibilities.

Lawmaker Gautam demanded that the Parliament should also press the government for addressing the livelihood issues of the people. He reiterated that the main opposition party would continue raising this issue until the parliamentary investigation committee was formed.

"The then Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha had responded in the Parliament itself that an investigation was on in this connection. But now the investigation is stopped," he said, adding that appointing Lamichhane as the Home Minister is a conflict of interest.

Lawmakers draw govt's attention to address farmers' problems

Meanwhile, speaking in the Urgent Time in the meeting of the HoR today, lawmakers voiced various contemporary issues, including the increasing number of road accidents and the farmers facing a plethora of problems.

Lawmaker Hitraj Pandey expressed concern over the increasing number of road accidents in recent days and urged the government to take effective measures to reduce road fatalities, referring to the car accident that took place on Saturday near Muglin.

Eknath Dhakal also drew the government's attention on this topic while Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan urged the government to resolve problems faced by the citizens while accessing various public services. He also called on the government to provide relief to the farmers after assessing the damage caused by the windstorm and hailstone.

Lawmaker Ashok Kumar Chaudhary raised the issue of the maize cultivated by farmers in the Tarai districts producing cobs without grains due to the 'flawed' hybrid seeds. He demanded action against the dealers selling such seeds and providing compensation to the farmers.

Chaudhary stressed on the urgent need of taking steps to mitigate the impact of climate change on agriculture and the problem of wild animals consuming and damaging the crops.

Dr Amaresh Kumar Singh said a question has arisen regarding the adjudication of justice by the judiciary. He alleged that the judges were appointed on the power-sharing basis among the parties and the judges also gave verdicts in an unfair way.

He called for an investigation on the decisions of the judiciary and formed a parliamentary committee to assess the conduct of the judges. He also through the Parliament called attention of the judiciary to what he called 'the contamination' of the judiciary. Lawmaker Singh complained that only few of the complaints filed with the Judicial Council are investigated into.