KATHMANDU: CPN-Maoist Center Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has called for unity among political parties to strengthen and uplift the national economy.

Putting his views on the government’s policies and programs for upcoming fiscal year in today’s meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR), Prachanda expressed his confidence that Prime Minister would incorporate the issues that were not covered in the policies and programs in his address.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari on May 24 had presented the government’s policies and programs in the joint meeting of the federal parliament.

Also a former Prime Minister, Prachanda spoke of the need to forge a common viewpoint among the political parties and unity among the political parties to address the national issues.

Stating that the ‘blame game’ among the political parties would not resolve any issues, he emphasized common efforts to solve the problems facing the country.

According to him, concerns should be whether or not the process of the implementation of the constitution had been taken forward rather than which political parties secured how many seats in the May 13 local election.

He extended his gratitude to the government, political parties, voters and civic societies for making the local election a success in a single phase.

Taking a jibe at the chairperson of the major opposition party-CPN (UML)- KP Oli, Prachanda urged not to forget the fact that Oli was elected Prime Minister twice with the support of CPN (Maoist Centre).

“Didn’t you become Prime Minister twice at the behest of Maoist Center?” he asked, adding, “If we humiliate each other, negate each other, we cannot fulfill the expectation of the Nepali citizens and deliver to the public through this current political system.”

On a different note, the Maoist Center Chairman said that the newly elected mayors of Kathmandu Metropolis and Dharan Sub-Metropolis had truly won the local election independently.

“The way these two independent candidates presented themselves with ideas and resolutions in front of people, that is special,” he said, “As for their victory, I would like to think that two new flowers have been added to the flower garden of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.”

Prachanda informed the HoR that the tax levied on the petroleum products had been removed and he had requested incumbent PM Sher Bahadur Deuba to take measures that would provide respite to the people.

According to him, the policies and programs had accorded highest priority to agriculture, industry, education, health and energy among others sectors. He suggested the government to introduce policy that would enable Nepal achieve self-reliance in agriculture. (RSS)