Harkaraj Rai and Rajendra Kumar Rai State Stance on Budget Process Amidst Opposition

Kathmandu. Chairman of the Labor Culture Party, Harkaraj Rai, has stated that although their demands remain the same, they will not block the budget process for a long time. He informed that after discussions among the opposition parties, a conclusion was reached that it is not appropriate to keep important issues like the budget pending for a long time. Speaking about the political stalemate that has been ongoing for the past 10 days, Chairman Rai reiterated his stance that the concerned parties should appear in the house and correct their statements. He clarified that they are not alone but are moving forward in coordination with other parties, emphasizing the working unity among opposition parties. He stated that although protests will continue in the house until the demands are met, the party will adopt flexibility to facilitate the development and budget process. Speaking about the obstruction of the house and the budget, he said, 'We are firm on our demands and protest programs will continue inside the house. However, we have reached a common conclusion that it is not appropriate to keep important issues like the budget in a tug-of-war situation for a month.' The budget formulation and implementation process has been affected for some time due to the various demands raised by the Labor Culture Party and other opposition parties.

Meanwhile, CPN (UML) MP Rajendra Kumar Rai has also clarified that the opposition's movement and stance remain unchanged. Speaking to media persons outside the Federal Parliament Building on Thursday, he said that the process has been made slightly easier keeping in mind the discussions on the budget. MP Rai reiterated the demand for a parliamentary inquiry committee, criticizing the Finance Minister's working style and the budget. Initially, it was expected that the Finance Minister was smart and would bring a good budget, but after the budget statement came out, it appeared to be misleading, he alleged. He added, 'We have not backed down from our stance. We have only facilitated the house process by realizing the need to discuss the pressing problems of the people and the budget. Our movement and discussions on the budget will proceed together. The Finance Minister's actions are flawed, so our demand to form a parliamentary inquiry committee to ascertain the facts remains intact.' Discussing the sentiments of the people, he also commented that citizens who voted for other political forces in the past have now realized their mistake.