Bagmati Province Government Budget Sparks Internal Conflict within Nepali Congress
Hetauda. A dispute over the Bagmati Province government's budget has triggered infighting within the ruling Nepali Congress party.
A rift has emerged within the Congress over the budget of 66.93 billion rupees presented by the government led by Chief Minister Indra Bahadur Baniyan for the upcoming fiscal year 2083/084.
The group led by Congress MP and former Chief Minister Bahadur Singh Lama is disgruntled with the budget. The Lama group has left the provincial assembly meeting and is engaged in internal discussions in Kathmandu. MPs from this group have demanded corrections in the government's working style, the appointment of the Speaker, and errors in the budget. They have maintained their stance of not attending the provincial assembly meeting until their demands are met.
The group led by Lama has protested, stating that the government has failed to establish budget criteria. They have indicated that they will participate in the provincial assembly meeting only after meeting with party president Gagan Kumar Thapa regarding these issues. Sources from the Lama group indicate that a meeting with President Thapa is scheduled for Wednesday concerning the provincial government and the budget.
Regarding this matter, former Chief Minister Lama has clarified that they are not involved in any game to change the government. According to him, there have been general discussions with the MPs, and he met with MPs close to him in Kathmandu on Tuesday morning. He stated that a decision on meeting the party president would be made as needed.
He also expressed dissatisfaction with the provincial government's working style and the parliamentary proceedings. Former Chief Minister Lama alleges that the government has violated parliamentary decorum and neglected the process of selecting the Speaker. He stated that the government has not taken seriously the issue of the Speaker not being elected for a long time in the provincial assembly.
'Without a Speaker, bills or budgets cannot be authenticated. Running the assembly with the Deputy Speaker as acting Speaker is not legal,' he said. 'The Congress's prestige has diminished by running the assembly with such a dignified post of Speaker vacant. The government has not been able to work according to public expectations. Despite repeatedly drawing the Chief Minister's attention to the dissatisfaction and weaknesses seen in the provincial government, they have not been addressed.'
Former Chief Minister Lama accuses the government of creating a 'hullabaloo' in the media regarding budget preparation and implementation, but not undertaking actual expenditure cuts and administrative reforms. He stated that the practice of making grand statements in the media without doing anything in practice is evident. He urged the government to complete the work first and then go to the media. Emphasizing that provincial problems should be solved by provincial mechanisms, he noted that looking to the center for minor issues makes a mockery of federalism.
Although there is no concrete preparation for a government change, he stated that if the current situation does not improve, his presence and that of his group in the assembly would be meaningless. He added, 'We don't make decisions here and then complain to the center about not being given authority? We will proceed only after discussing this matter immediately with the party president and concerned parties.'
This specific news has been automatically translated by AI. As a result, there may be some inaccuracies or language errors.
