KATHMANDU, Feb 17: The main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) has accused the government of failing on almost all fronts — ranging from safeguarding national sovereignty to running the government smoothly and creating job opportunities as promised ahead of 2017’s parliamentary elections — and heading toward an authoritarian path. 

While blaming the government for the failure to create job opportunities in the country, the main opposition party has also criticized the government’s plan to receive Rs 13 billion loan from donors for an employment program called Prime Minister Employment Program saying the loan approved for ‘unproductive works’ will affect the country and the people in the long run. 

The accusation from the main opposition comes a day after Prime Minister KP Oli said the “remarkable progress” made by his administration in the last two years was not recognized. In his address to parliament Saturday, Oli claimed his government had made remarkable progress in the past two years and assured of starting ‘game-changing projects’ soon.  

Against the prime minister’s claim, the main opposition NC listed out the ‘major failures’ of the Oli government since he came to power. The NC has expressed serious concern over the poor performance by the government despite having a strong majority in parliament, political stability and constructive support from the opposition parties. 

NC, which led most governments formed after the restoration of democracy in 1990, has criticized the Oli government for failing to control pervasive corruption; adopting double standard while dealing with high-profile corruption cases, not expediting major development projects and not completing post-earthquake reconstruction within two years as promised before the party started leading the current government. The main opposition party accused the government of attacking press freedom and civic liberties in the country instead of fulfilling the election promises.

“On the front of safeguarding national sovereignty, the government failed to initiate diplomatic dialogue to reclaim the land encroached upon by India in Kalapani area,” said NC spokesman Bishwa Prakash Sharma, adding, “The media has reported that India is constructing a road in the Mahakali region but the government has not officially responded to that so far.”

At the press conference organized at the party headquarters in Sanepa to make public the party’s position on the progress made by the government in recent two years, Spokesman Sharma noted that the Melamchi Water Supply Project has been further delayed and there are uncertainties over the long-stalled projects like Nijgadh International Airport and Budhigandaki Hydropower Project. 

The NC spokesman said that the government failed to maintain good governance in the country. “The government has failed to launch an appropriate probe into big corruption scandals like the wide-body scam,” he observed.

Sharma accused the ruling Nepal Communist Party of being intolerant to leaders and cadres of NC. 

 
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