KATHMANDU: CPN-UML Vice Chairman Bishnu Poudel has said that Finance Minister Janardan Sharma infringed upon the autonomy of Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB).
Stating that NRB was an autonomous body, he accused the incumbent finance minister of viewing and treating it as a subordinate of the ministry.
“The Central Bank was treated as if it was a part of the Finance Ministry and the governor as a subordinate secretary or joint secretary at the ministry. The autonomy of the NRB has been interfered with,” he said.
Poudel, who is also the former finance minister, said that the government had restricted the NRB from releasing monetary policy on time, and stopped it from making necessary modifications in the policy as per the need.
He claimed that the economic condition of the country had deteriorated due to the government’s intervention in the NRB.
Poudel accused the government of initiating the process of sacking Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari while he was attempting to save the national economy.
“Hopefully the government rectifies the decision to suspend the governor or else the country’s economy will further deteriorate,” he said, adding, “This is not an intervention against one Maha Prasad Adhikari but is an attempt to attack the institutionalized system.”
Poudel said the government was hell bent on dismantling the system.
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