Gandaki Chief Minister Vows Continued Fight with Federal Government Over Provincial Rights

Pokhara. Gandaki Province Chief Minister Surendra Raj Pandey has stated that the struggle for rights granted by the constitution against the federal government is ongoing.

Addressing the Provincial Assembly meeting on Tuesday, he mentioned that the fight for provincial and local level rights, which has been present since the past, continues even now.

'The efforts we, as provincial governments, have made to secure our rights—whether political, administrative, or financial—have been voiced for the past three to four years,' he said, 'Gandaki Province has taken the lead in this. As you are aware, that struggle remains.'

He announced plans to convene a meeting of chief ministers to draw the attention of the federal government regarding the rights that should be devolved to the provinces. 'Soon, we will hold a meeting of the chief ministers of all seven provinces and present our concerns, our interests, and the legal rights enshrined in the constitution that we have failed to obtain to the federal government,' he continued, 'Whether it is the Police Act, the Employee Act, the Education Act, or matters related to land acquisition, whatever the acts are, we will present them to the newly formed government.'

Despite these rights being clearly written in the constitution, the federal government appears unwilling to relinquish control over these powers.

'We will collectively lobby the federal government for the implementation of rights written in the constitution but not yet operationalized,' Pandey stated. 'The center needs to understand that federalism cannot succeed without strengthening the provinces.' He added that they are ready to cooperate and coordinate according to the constitution, even if the party leading the federal government is different from the parties representing the province.

Pandey expressed hope that the current government will fulfill the rights that previous governments were hesitant to delegate. 'We are optimistic that the rights we could not secure during the time when our own party led the government will be obtained under this new party-led government,' he said. 'In this regard, Gandaki Province will play a leading role.' The province is primarily demanding financial, administrative, and political rights, including issues like land acquisition, civil service acts, and police integration.

Chief Minister Pandey urged the lawmakers to focus on the overall development of the province, even though his party faced defeat in the elections. 'It is an election; we are members of political parties. Sometimes we are defeated in elections, sometimes we are victorious,' he said. 'These events did not just happen today. We saw a similarly enthusiastic situation in 2048 BS. After the 2064 BS elections, we witnessed an even more encouraging period than in 2048 BS, and that atmosphere is continuing now as well.'

He acknowledged that the current new situation arose because the aspirations and expectations of the people were not fully met.

He urged all parties within the province to unite and work towards prosperity. 'Just as we have risen above partisan feelings to work for the prosperity and progress of Gandaki Province, let us maintain this unity and move forward in the days to come,' he proposed.

Pandey emphasized the importance of working honestly in cooperation for the progress of the province throughout his tenure.