KATHMANDU, July 3: A dispute over the Koshi Province budget has triggered tensions within the ruling coalition, with lawmakers from both coalition partners expressing dissatisfaction over the budget allocation and preparation process.
Although the budget was tabled on June 15, several ruling party lawmakers have accused the government of concentrating funds in constituencies represented by Chief Minister Hikmat Kumar Karki and a handful of ministers. Some lawmakers reportedly even warned of bringing down the government over the issue.
The controversy has repeatedly delayed Provincial Assembly meetings. Sessions scheduled for June 25, June 30, and July 2 were postponed as coalition partners failed to reach an agreement.
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The Koshi government, led by the CPN-UML, had presented a budget of Rs 40.45 billion for the upcoming fiscal year.
Former minister and UML lawmaker Rewati Raman Bhandari said the ruling parties had reached an understanding on most issues and expressed hope that the Provincial Assembly would convene soon.
Meanwhile, the main opposition Nepali Communist Party (NCP) criticized the government, accusing it of mishandling both the budget formulation process and the functioning of the Provincial Assembly. Opposition leader Indra Bahadur Angbo alleged the budget was politically biased, favored a limited group of leaders and ministers, and encouraged policy-level corruption.
The opposition also insisted that any amendments to the budget must be made transparently through the Provincial Assembly, warning against any attempt to revise it through backdoor administrative processes.
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