UML politburo meeting
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Governance in Social transformations in Nepal
KATHMANDU, April 6: Politburo members of ruling CPN-UML have fiercely criticized Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli for failing to address the plight of the people, provide relief to earthquake victims, control black market and skyrocketing prices after assuming office in last October.
According to the participants of the meeting, most of the politburo members airing their views on Wednesday praised Oli for taking firm stance on the national interest in the recent months when the country faced blockade and other international pressures.
"I appreciate you for taking firm stance on the national interest and for your decisive role in making the new constitution but I am disappointed by the government's poor performance when it comes to maintaining good governance, and controlling black market and skyrocketing prices," a leader quoted politburo member Jagannath Khatiwada as saying at the meeting.
The party leaders started airing their views after Prime Minister Oli presented his political paper at the meeting on Tuesday.
As Oli was listening to UML leaders' dissatisfaction with the government, Khatiwada explained that the public did not take to the street against the government even when they were deprived of basic services not because the government was popular but because they didn't want to put the country in further trouble at the time of crisis.
"As the crisis has gradually subsided, you now have no excuse for not addressing general public's genuine grievances related to their basic livelihoods," he said.
Leaders Yubaraj Gyawali, Ghanashyam Bhusal, Beduram Bhusal, Bijay Paudel, Prakash Jwala, Shrimaya Thakali, Gangalal Tuladhar, Gorakh Bahadur Bogati and Nagendra Chaudhary were among those who spoke at the meeting.
According to Paudel, most of those airing their views criticized the prime minister for poor governance.
"All of them stressed on the need for holding local elections without any further delay," Paudel told Republica.
According to him, party leaders expressed their serious' dissatisfaction over the chairman's working style. "He was criticized for running the party unilaterally and appointing only his cronies in key posts in the government, party committees and parliamentary bodies," said Paudel.
They also accused Oli of promoting factional activities in the party under his leadership.
"Three tendencies have been promoted in the party under your leadership. These are personalization of party committees, deep corruption among cadres and deification of top leadership," said Khatiwada. "This must be corrected and it should start from you."
He was accused of flouting party statute by not endorsing standing committee's key decisions from the politburo and central committee meetings.
"This politburo meeting was held after nine months. The country went through a turbulent period and standing committee took very serious decisions during this period but they weren't brought to the politburo and central committee for approval as per the party statute, which has made it mandatory to convene politburo meeting at least one in three months and central committee at least once in six months," said Thakali.
In the past nine months, the Constituent Assembly promulgated new constitution, the party proposed Bidyadevi Bhandari as the head of the state, Oli as prime minister and supported candidates from other parties for appointment in key posts in the govenrment. "But, the politburo and central committee were rendered useless in these crucial days," she said.
According to her, the members urged the prime minister to lobby firmly for holding local elections. "Most of the friends were of the view that had there been elected representatives in the local bodies, the National Reconstruction Authority could have become more effective in carrying out reconstruction and rehabilitation works and distributing reliefs to the needy people," she said.
