Bagmati Province Lawmakers Criticize Federal Government's Centralized Approach

Hetauda. Members of the Bagmati Provincial Assembly have expressed strong dissatisfaction with the working style of the federal government.

During Wednesday's session of the Bagmati Provincial Assembly, lawmakers voiced their frustration with the government led by Prime Minister Balendra Shah 'Balen'.

In the meeting, lawmakers accused the federal government of being reluctant to grant constitutional rights to the province, increasing administrative interference, and showing apathy toward public concerns. Specifically, regarding taxes on petroleum products, the lack of administrative laws, and arrests based on political vendettas, lawmakers labeled the federal government as 'anti-federalist'.

During the special time of the meeting, lawmaker Ramkrishna Chitrakar stated that the federal government has burdened citizens with taxes under the pretext of the international market. He accused the federal government of acting like a 'commercial entity' rather than a guardian. He remarked that the federal government is only talking about good governance while making the public's kitchen expensive.

'The federal government collects nearly 65 rupees in taxes under various names on every liter of petroleum products. If they had waived this 65-rupee tax during such a crisis, the public would have received relief. But the central government is bent on making profits and causing hardship to the people,' he said, 'What is the justification for this excessive tax collected by the center? Is this tax for public service or to sustain power?'

UML lawmaker Bharati Kumari Pathak stated that the federal government is moving forward with a sense of 'political vendetta'. Expressing dissatisfaction over the arrests of former Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, she said the federal government has disgraced democracy. She accused the central government of using the police and administration as tools to serve its political interests. Lawmaker Pathak also mentioned the center's failure in security management, noting that the central Cyber Bureau remained a mute spectator while young women were being character-assassinated on social media.

'The way the federal government has started the politics of vendetta, it has mocked the rule of law. Leaders should be released unconditionally and immediately. Vendetta does not benefit anyone. It only invites conflict in society,' she said.

UML lawmaker Keshav Prasad Pokharel said that the federal government and old political parties need to reform themselves. He stated that the existence of federalism is limited to the grip of the federal government.

'The federal government has tied the hands and feet of the province. The police administration and civil service mechanism are in the grip of the center. In such a situation, how can the province work? If this interventionist mindset of the center and the working style of the old parties do not improve, the people will bring a big storm that will sweep everyone away. If the center does not give rights and we cannot deliver, questions will be raised on the system itself,' he said.

'A game to make the province crippled'

Congress lawmaker Madhu Kumar Shrestha said that the federal government has been unable to accept the province as an autonomous institution. He accused the central government of being an obstacle in the implementation of administrative federalism. He said that the center is only viewing the province as one of its 'units' and does not want to grant rights, adding that such a mindset will not make federalism successful.

'The practice of appointing provincial secretaries and executive officers of local levels from the center has killed the essence of federalism. The federal civil service act has been stalled by the center for years. Due to this, the provincial government is unable to run its own staff administration,' he said.

NCP lawmaker Saral Sahayatri Poudel criticized the federal government's education policy, accusing it of running a factory that only produces unemployed people. Lawmaker Poudel also stated that the health insurance program operated by the federal government is useless. He said that a situation has arisen where citizens with insurance cannot even get paracetamol in hospitals. He stated that the state is cheating the people.

'1.3 million students are enrolled in ECD across the country. But by the time they reach the secondary level, only 500,000 remain. Where did the remaining 800,000 students disappear?' he said, 'Does the federal government's Ministry of Education have an answer to this? Education policy made based on Western culture and donors cannot produce manpower suitable for Nepali soil. Unless the center links education with production and skills, the trend of youth migrating abroad will not stop,' he said.

NCP lawmaker Devendra Shrestha said that the federal government is turning the country into an arena for foreign manipulation by failing to maintain a balance with neighboring nations. According to him, Nepal is currently in the most difficult geopolitics in history. He said that the federal government is forgetting its non-aligned foreign policy and remains silent on interference in the name of relations with neighbors and foreign aid.

NPP lawmaker Surendraraj Gosai said that the federal government's decision to introduce a two-day public holiday per week is anti-development. He said that the country could go bankrupt by imitating Western countries.

'Giving two days off a week in a developing country like ours is to make the nation poorer. When the center makes such decisions by blindly imitating the West, it has a serious impact on the country's production and service delivery. This decision has increased laziness and mismanagement, not good governance,' he said.

In the meeting, UML lawmaker Balkumari Bishwakarma said that the federal government has discriminated against representatives and citizens with disabilities. She said that the central government has failed in the implementation of international conventions. She stated that the federal government has treated them as non-citizens by cutting the facilities of personal secretaries for lawmakers with disabilities.

UML lawmaker Prembhakta Maharjan said that the federal government has obstructed development by cutting budgets for provincial projects. He said that the federal government has neglected the development of historical heritage sites like the Rato Machhindranath Jatra and Patan Durbar Square.

Overall, this meeting of the Bagmati Provincial Assembly has deemed the federal government's working style as 'unitary and interventionist'. Lawmakers have given a clear message to the center—either give rights or let the province work independently according to the essence of federalism. The conclusion of the lawmakers is that the politics of vendetta and the centralization of power cannot strengthen the federal democratic republic.