Bagmati Province Government's Appropriation Bill Passes Amidst Congress Whip

Hetauda. The Nepali Congress has issued a whip to pass the Bagmati Province Government's upcoming fiscal year 2083/84 appropriation bill. The Congress Parliamentary Party meeting has issued a three-line whip to its provincial assembly members to pass the budget.

Amidst the controversy seen within Congress regarding the budget, the parliamentary party has directed all MPs to be compulsorily present in the meeting and vote in favor of the budget.

Pukar Mahajan, the chief whip of the Bagmati Province Congress Parliamentary Party, has issued a three-line whip targeting the provincial assembly meeting to be held at 11 AM on Saturday.

The whip directs all members to be compulsorily present, not remain neutral during the voting process, and cast their vote in favor of the bill, as the appropriation bill for the fiscal year 2083/84 presented by the Minister of Economic Affairs and Planning will be presented for decision.

The Congress Parliamentary Party has issued a whip as the absence of MPs during the decisive phase of budget passage could create difficulties for the government.

For the past few days, there has been a heated debate within Congress between the group of Chief Minister Indra Bahadur Baniyan and former Chief Minister Bahadur Singh Lama regarding the budget and leadership of the government. Some MPs from the Lama faction had been absent from the provincial assembly meetings and had also signaled non-cooperation in the budget passing process.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Baniyan had previously expressed confidence that all MPs would participate in the budget passing process after the party's whip was issued. With the Congress issuing a three-line whip, it appears to be an effort to manage the internal party dispute for the time being and pass the budget.

The agenda for the Bagmati Provincial Assembly meeting on Saturday includes the presentation of the appropriation bill for decision after the ministers conclude their responses to the questions raised on the budget.