KATHMANDU: Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) Chairman Upendra Yadav has stated that the party’s formal position on the ordinance will be unveiled today.
He clarified that neither the Nepali Congress nor the CPN-UML had any discussions with JSP before issuing the ordinance, and emphasized that forming a government is not a priority for the JSP.
Yadav dismissed media reports claiming that the JSP was negotiating for ministerial positions and the Chief Minister’s post in exchange for supporting the ordinance. He called these reports “baseless.”
Regarding the meeting between Prime Minister KP Oli, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, and JSP leaders, Yadav confirmed that no discussions about joining the government took place.
Instead, Oli and Deuba asked for JSP’s support to pass the ordinance. Yadav stated that the JSP will make its decision on Saturday, following internal consultations.
On Thursday morning, JSP Chairman Yadav and MP Rajkishore Yadav met with Prime Minister Oli and NC President Deuba.
It was rumored that JSP leaders demanded the Home Minister position and one of the Health Minister roles at the central level, as well as the Chief Minister position for Madhesh Province, should they choose to join the government.
However, Yadav firmly denied these claims, saying no such requests were made during the meeting.
“I am surprised by these reports,” Yadav said. “None of this happened inside our discussions. These are all fabricated stories.”
In the meantime, JSP formed an internal task force led by Rajkishore Yadav to evaluate the party’s position on the ordinance.
The task force submitted a six-page report recommending against supporting the ordinance.
The government’s ordinances require the support of three JSP Nepal MPs to secure a majority in the National Assembly.
Without this, the ordinances will fail in the upper house, potentially plunging the government into a moral crisis. This is why Oli and Deuba sought the JSP’s backing during Thursday’s meeting.
In an interview with Khabarhub, Chairman Yadav discussed the meeting and the ongoing situation:
You met with Prime Minister Oli and President Deuba on Thursday afternoon. What happened during the meeting?
The meeting was quite normal. No major decisions were made. They expressed their willingness to work together for the country’s development and asked for our support on the ordinance.
We told them that we would discuss the matter within the party, and we will decide how to move forward.
There were reports that you asked for one of the Health Minister positions or the Home Minister position, or alternatively, the Chief Minister’s role in Madhesh. Is that true?
I am surprised to hear such claims. These are all unfounded. No such discussions took place internally.
Those things simply didn’t happen. Their request was to work together to pass the ordinance, and while I had previously expressed concerns about some ordinances, the issue of joining the government was never discussed.
We agreed to consult the party before making any decisions.
What specific request did Oli and Deuba make?
They emphasized the need to pass six ordinances to address the people’s concerns, such as resolving land issues.
They mentioned the importance of working together to create an environment where services can be provided efficiently. Their request was for cooperation in moving forward.
Why wasn’t there any discussion before the ordinance was issued? Shouldn’t it have been done through consensus?
That’s a valid question. Why didn’t they consult us before rushing to issue the ordinance?
The way it was handled lacked proper dialogue. We are willing to discuss and offer our support, but the process should have been more inclusive.
Some Congress and UML leaders are claiming you bargained for government positions. Is that true?
I am surprised to hear that. We haven’t made any such demands or proposals. You can ask Prime Minister Oli and President Deuba—they will confirm that we did not ask for any ministries.
These reports are entirely fabricated. If there had been any such discussions, they would have been openly addressed, but this was never the case. Our party has already refuted these claims.
So, what will you do now? Will you support or oppose the ordinance?
What I can tell you is that the JSP parliamentary party will meet on Saturday.
Right now, we are carefully examining all the political developments. Everything needs to be studied thoroughly.
The Madhesi parties, too, have been distanced from each other on several occasions, and this aspect also requires evaluation.
A decision will be made on Saturday after discussing it within the party. The outcome of the meeting will be the official position of our party. We will reach a conclusion only on Saturday.
It has been said that the agenda of presenting the ordinance in both houses on Friday was removed because the JSP hasn’t made a decision. Will it be presented in the next meeting?
This was not removed because of us; it was due to their own reasons. Discussions are held when the need for people arises.
A decision for the party cannot be made by one or two individuals. Our party doesn’t operate that way. I had already stated that no decision could be made today. The rest is up to them.
If the government wanted to take a specific action, it should have consulted us first. Then, a decision could have been made. We will discuss their ‘request’ on Saturday.
Did you have any further conversations with Prime Minister Oli after that?
No, except for Friday morning. I have already informed both leaders (Oli and Deuba) that the decision will be made only on Saturday morning.
What is the JSP’s stance on the six ordinances brought by the government?
I cannot give my personal opinion right now. We are still studying the situation to form an official position. We will have a clearer view the day after tomorrow.
My personal opinion is not the party’s opinion. Once a decision is made, it must be implemented according to the rules and procedures.
I can’t make a statement on this matter yet. Sometimes, personal matters must be kept separate from party decisions. A discussion within the party is necessary.
You must have discussed this within the party. What do the other leaders say? Do they want to join the government?
The ordinance came about after it was removed from the parliamentary agenda. Since it was in the house, there was no room for discussion. We couldn’t talk about it until Saturday.
Our position is that forming a government is not our priority. Regardless of what happens externally, the government is not our focus.
PM Oli had already said on Asad 30 that they would offer us a ministry if we joined, but the government was still not our priority.
At that time, didn’t people here vote in confidence for the government, hoping for a constitutional amendment?
That’s an old story. It would take a long time to discuss it. The meeting on Friday was a normal one.
Meetings continue to happen, and the conversation was as usual. Nothing beyond that took place.
So, would you say the meeting with Oli and Deuba was positive?
There’s no question of it being positive or negative. They asked us to support the ordinance in any way possible. We said we will discuss it within the party.
At this stage, it hasn’t reached a point where we can categorize it as positive or negative. We will know the outcome only on Saturday.
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