KATHMANDU: Opposition parties have formed a united front, concluding that the government led by Prime Minister Balen Shah is attempting to bypass Parliament through ordinances.
The opposition bloc launched a collective protest after Shah, on Tuesday, recommended two ordinances, related to the Constitutional Council and cooperatives, to President Ram Chandra Poudel.
The move has drawn criticism, particularly because Shah, who is in a minority in the Constitutional Council, proposed provisions allowing decisions to be made with the presence of just three members, an approach similar to that adopted by former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
A meeting of opposition parties convened by the main opposition Nepali Congress at Singha Durbar decided to collectively oppose the government’s move.
Speaking after the meeting, chief whip of the Nepal Communist Party Yubaraj Dulal termed the government’s action arbitrary.
According to Dulal, the meeting decided to oppose, condemn, and denounce the ordinances introduced by bypassing Parliament. He added that the opposition would exert pressure on the government to withdraw the ordinances.
The meeting also decided to urge President Poudel not to authenticate the ordinances and to call on the government to immediately convene the monsoon session of Parliament.
“Even after calling the session, it was adjourned. The opposition has decided to oppose and condemn ordinances brought by bypassing Parliament,” Dulal said. “We have urged the government to withdraw both ordinances and will appeal to the President not to approve them. We also demand that the Parliament session be convened immediately.”
A joint statement issued by four parties expressed objection to the government’s recommendation to promulgate the ordinances on April 27 and 28, stating that suspending Parliament shortly after convening it and introducing ordinances goes against parliamentary norms.
The meeting was attended by Nepali Congress parliamentary party leader Bhishmaraj Angdembe, Ram Bahadur Thapa from CPN-UML, chief whip Yubaraj Dulal, and lawmaker Saraswati Lama from the Rastriya Prajatantra Party.
However, the Shram Sanskriti Party did not participate in the meeting. Its chair, Harka Sampang, has been sharply criticizing the government and Prime Minister Shah on social media, particularly over the eviction of squatters.
Despite his strong remarks, Sampang did not send any representative to the opposition meeting. Earlier, with the support of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, he had helped elect Rubi Kumari Thakur as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.
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