By Our Reporter
Within 100 days of the formation of the present government by changing the coalition partners for the third time in less than 15 months, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is now facing a crisis to save it.
Prime Minister Dahal and CPN-UML chairman KP Oli spent most of the time during the honeymoon period of the government defending Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane from his alleged involvement in misusing cooperatives’ funds. And when they sorted out the issue, Oli started attacking the government over the issue of the new budget.
Although a major partner of the government, Oli as well as other CPN-UML leaders have been criticising the government budget unveiled by Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun.
Criticising the budget, Oli said in the party’s central committee meeting that he went to the government to develop the country and if that did not happen, he would not be satisfied.
Earlier, in the party meeting on May 19, Oli had commented that the budget was leaning towards Maoists and that Maoist colours were visible. While preparing the budget, Prime Minister Dahal, Oli, Finance Minister Varshman Pun and UML Vice President and former Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel had discussions, but Oli objected to the budget.
Oli said that the government has not done a satisfactory job and even the ministry handled by the UML has not done a good job, Oli said, ‘What is the (budget) allocation in the ministry that we are running? That also needs to be looked at.”
What Oli has been saying clearly hints that Dahal and Oli are not on good terms. Although UML vice chair Paudel recently claimed that the present government would last till the 2027 general elections, the way Oli has criticised the government for its budget, it seems the present coalition may not survive till 2025.
While Oli is expressing ire against the budget, Rastriya Swatantra Party is also not happy with the way the government is functioning. When RSP leaders started airing views that they had to review the support they gave the present government, PM Dahal had to say that RSP would not quit the government. Talking to journalists in Bharatpur on Monday, PM Dahal said that although the RSP ministers are carrying their resignation papers in their pockets, they would not quit the government.
Moreover, the differences between PM Dahal and DPM Lamichhane spilled after PM Dahal rejected Lamichhane’s plan to change the Police IGP. When Lamichhane was trying to remove Basanta Kunwar of the Nepal Police from the post of the IGP, Dahal interfered and assured Kunwar publicly that he would not be removed. In Chitwan, he said that no chief of a security agency would be changed.
The tussle between Dahal and Lamichhane has also made the future of the government uncertain. Considering the nature of Lamichhane, he could abandon the government at any time citing that he was not allowed to work independently.
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