KATHMANDU: CPN-UML lawmaker Surya Bahadur Thapa has claimed that the KP Sharma Oli-led government is functioning with political consensus, while strongly criticizing both the Nepali Congress and the Maoist Centre during Monday’s House of Representatives session.
Speaking during a special session, Thapa asserted that despite daily political maneuverings and media speculations about the government’s collapse, it continues to move forward.
“The government will fall today, it will fall tomorrow—these statements are constantly repeated in the media and have become a source of noise pollution in society. But such rhetoric has proved meaningless. The government is moving ahead,” he said, in an apparent dig at former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’.
Referring to the previous government led by Dahal, Thapa accused it of setting a precedent similar to a “Pakistani model” of governance.
“In those 20 months, how many case files were reopened? What came of them? We all saw it. Just ask Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, who has now experienced the consequences. A coup-like environment had emerged, and gold smuggling had turned the whole country into a hub of corruption,” he added.
Thapa also directed sharp criticism at some Nepali Congress leaders, blaming political populism for the erosion of governance standards within the ruling coalition.
Citing the recent removal of the Executive Director of the Nepal Electricity Authority, he said, “The Energy Minister, a Nepali Congress leader, had been pressing for his removal and finally succeeded after a Cabinet decision. But now, blaming the Prime Minister? Doesn’t the Energy Minister represent the Nepali Congress? You can’t shirk responsibility by shifting the blame to the PM.”
He also urged Nepali Congress members to seek clarity from party president Sher Bahadur Deuba about the party’s stance on the government. “Shouldn’t colleagues consult their own leader?” he asked.
Thapa emphasized that the current government was formed based on a seven-point agreement and questioned claims that it is becoming UML-dominated.
“If there are issues in how the coalition mechanism is functioning, they should be addressed. The ruling partners shouldn’t contribute to further instability,” he said.
Concluding his remarks, Thapa warned against attempts to sabotage the government and urged leaders from Nepali Congress and the Maoists not to “bake the bread of despair” through destabilizing politics.
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