CPN-UML Secretary Bhattarai: Economic Agenda Must Take Priority Over Politics for Nepal's Prosperity

Kathmandu. CPN (UML) Secretary Dr. Rajan Bhattarai has stated that the focus must now shift from political agendas to economic agendas for Nepal's prosperity. He argued that if the economy does not strengthen, any good political system or constitution will face questions, noting that questions are currently arising precisely because the economy is weak.

Speaking at the 'Economic Agenda' program organized by the Nepal Economic Journalists Association (NEFEJ) on Sunday, Bhattarai emphasized that the economic aspect should not be underestimated. According to him, since political parties have spent a long time on political transformation, the primary focus should now be on economic agendas rather than political ones.

He stressed the need for political parties to take the lead in setting the agenda, vision, policy, and implementation for prosperity, emphasizing that political parties must demonstrate determination. He stated that if political parties raise economic agendas but fail to implement them, their relevance will fade away.

Bhattarai suggested that election agendas should now focus on employment and a clean environment rather than infrastructure. He noted that voters are showing interest in issues like employment and a clean environment, and are particularly seeking guarantees of service sector improvements and good governance from the parties.

Secretary Bhattarai said: 'If the economy does not strengthen, any good political system or constitution will face questions, and that is happening even now. Therefore, the economic aspect should not be underestimated. We have spent a long time on political transformation. Now, economic agendas, not political ones, must take priority. Nepal must become prosperous. Political parties must now take the lead in terms of the agenda, framework, vision, and policy for prosperity, ensuring they are implementable. Political parties need to show determination in this regard. If political parties raise economic agendas and fail to implement them, the relevance of political parties will disappear.'

He further added, 'We have raised the economic agenda. The narrative that nothing has been done here is wrong. If we look at the state of infrastructure in Nepal ten years ago and compare it to the infrastructure sector today, we can see a significant difference. Despite political fluctuations, significant strides have been made in infrastructure. Now, the agenda of infrastructure is hardly raised in urban areas. That is because we have already made a leap in infrastructure. Roads, drinking water, and drainage systems have been managed, and in places where they haven't, local governments are now capable of handling them. Voters are currently interested in issues like employment and a clean environment. Voters are particularly interested in the service sector and are seeking guarantees of good governance from the parties. Our agendas must now be those.'

According to Dr. Bhattarai, the current situation does not allow for the privatization of all sectors, but a liberal policy can be adopted. -News Agency Nepal