Opposition Parties Demand Withdrawal of Ordinances, Urge President to Reject

Kathmandu. Four major opposition parties in parliament have put forward a four-point demand, protesting the ordinances recently recommended by the government.

A joint meeting of the Nepali Congress, CPN (UML), Communist Party of Nepal, and Rastriya Prajatantra Party held at the Congress Parliamentary Party office in Singha Durbar on Wednesday pressured the President not to approve these ordinances, calling the government's recent move unparliamentary and undemocratic.

The opposition parties, led by Nepali Congress Parliamentary Party leader Bhishma Raj Angdembe, expressed objection to the ordinances recommended by the government to amend various laws. The government had recommended ordinances to the President to amend the Constitutional Council (Function, Duties and Procedures) Act 2066, the Cooperatives Act 2074, the Health Professional Education Policy, the Universities Act, and some Nepal laws. The opposition parties deemed it a mockery of democracy to convene a parliamentary session and then immediately suspend it to bring ordinances through a backdoor.

A joint statement issued after the meeting demanded the immediate withdrawal of such ordinances brought with the intention of bypassing parliament. Opposition leaders stated that attempting to rule by keeping parliament inactive is condemnable and strongly condemned the government's actions.

Similarly, the opposition alliance made a special appeal to the President. The joint statement issued after the meeting mentioned that they urged and pressured the President not to approve ordinances that would curtail parliamentary rights. They also demanded the immediate convening of the suspended federal parliament session to proceed with legal discussions.

The joint decision was signed by Nepali Congress leader Bhishma Raj Angdembe, CPN (UML) Parliamentary Party leader Ram Bahadur Thapa 'Badal', Chief Whip of the Communist Party of Nepal Yuvraj Dulal, and Rastriya Prajatantra Party representative Sarawati Lama.