How powerful is ruling alliance’s task force?

KATHMANDU, July 25: The ruling alliance has formed a seven-member task force to ‘facilitate the government and ensure effective performance’. 

The task force headed by Nepali Congress (NC) General Secretary Purna Bahadur Khadka comprises three including Khadka from NC – Minendra Rijal and Ramesh Lekhak–, two each from the CPN (Maoist Center)– Barshaman Pun and Dev Gurung –  and Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) – Rajendra Shrestha and Mahendra Raya Yadav.  

The panel, which came into existence since Friday, last week, is taken with a lot of curiosity amid the political spectrum on what it is supposed to do and can do. 

Many  have raised questions regarding its jurisdiction following the formation of the panel.

The panel began consultations on Friday itself.  A meeting of the task force held at the Prime Minister's official residence in Baluwatar on Friday discussed the sharing of ministries, businesses in parliament, COVID-19 and the minimum common programs of  the incumbent government.

According to the members of the task force, they are holding discussions with an objective of setting a new culture of coalition government. 

Ramesh Lekhak, a member of the task force, told Ratopati, "Strengthening the coalition government is the main objective of the task force."

Barshaman Pun, another member of the task force, said that the ‘political mechanism’ has been formed to suggest the government and deal with the opposition. 

He added, "The task force analyzes the situation, provides suggestions to the government, deals with the activities and pressure of the opposition parties."

He argues that the task force is not a parallel structure of government but a mechanism to strengthen the alliance. 

Rajendra Shrestha, who represents the JSP’s Updendra Yadav faction in the panel, also made a similar argument. 

Stating that a task force was formed to facilitate the government, he clarified that it is their task to formulate a minimum common program for the affection operation of the incumbent government.

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