KATHMANDU: CPN (UML) General Secretary Shankar Pokharel has criticized Prime Minister Balendra Shah for failing to remain accountable to the public, characterizing his silence in the sovereign parliament as a sign of autocratic governance.
Speaking at a program organized at the party’s central office in Chyasal on Saturday, Pokharel expressed deep concern over the Prime Minister’s decision not to address the House during its first session.
He argued that a Prime Minister elected by a representative body is duty-bound to communicate the government’s policies and vision through the legislature.
“The refusal of the Prime Minister to speak in the parliament, where the people’s sovereignty is exercised, indicates a trend toward arbitrary rule,” Pokharel remarked.
The General Secretary also addressed what he described as a deliberate narrative being constructed to label the UML and its leadership as corrupt. He claimed there is an ongoing attempt to foster distrust toward established parties by promoting the idea that only new political forces can ensure good governance and rapid development.
Furthermore, Pokharel accused the current leadership—who rose to power on the promise of transparency—of failing to uphold those very standards. He pointed out that while ministers in the previous interim government failed to make their assets public, the ministers in the current administration are similarly procrastinating on disclosing their property details.
Pokharel did not spare the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dol Prasad Aryal, in his critique. He stated that the Speaker’s recently disclosed asset details have been met with widespread skepticism, calling the information difficult for many to believe.
He concluded by warning that attacks are being directed at the traditional pillars of Nepali democracy and the advocates of political stability who have historically kept the nation away from extreme conflict.
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