Nepali Congress Whip Nischal Rai Criticizes Government's Focus on Social Media Management Over Citizen Welfare

Kathmandu. Nepali Congress Chief Whip Nischal Rai has accused the government of being focused only on social media management instead of being sensitive to the lives and suffering of citizens.

Speaking to journalists at the Federal Parliament building complex on Friday, he raised serious questions about the government's working style and policy-making process. 

Expressing sorrow over the recent self-immolation incident of Ganesh Nepali, Chief Whip Rai emphasized that policy-making should focus on the grassroots and impoverished citizens. Commenting on the Home Minister's activeness after the incident, he asserted that the government lacks sensitivity.

He said, 'Such a tragic situation has arisen today because we do not consider how the policies we make will affect the lives of the middle class and the poor. When making policies in parliament, it is necessary to rise above the ruling and opposition parties and look after the welfare of the general public.' Rai stated that while it was positive for the Home Minister to visit the victim, the act of taking YouTubers along and going live raised questions about his seriousness. He added, 'The government appears to be more busy with social media management than with protecting citizens' lives.'

Expressing dissatisfaction with the discussion about preparing to increase fines in the transport regulations, Rai said that increasing only fines without developing infrastructure would be impractical. He argued that a proposal to impose fines of up to one lakh rupees would further burden impoverished citizens.

He mentioned that instead of prioritizing direct taxes and fines for revenue collection, the state should broaden the tax base.