A joint meeting of the parties held at the UML´s headquarters in Balkhu on Tuesday afternoon also decided to ask President Dr Ram Baran Yadav not to endorse the budget brought through ordinance. [break]
“We have reached an understanding to ask the prime minister to pave the way for forming a consensus government and avoid confrontation,” said CPN-ML Chairman CP Mainali.
CPN-Maoist Secretary Dev Gurung said the government cannot bring budget without political consensus. “There is no possibility of bringing full budget in the absence of legislature-parliament,” said Gurung.
Article 96 (2) of the Interim Constitution states that a vote on account bill shall not be introduced until the estimates of revenues and expenditures have been presented in accordance with the provisions of Article 93, and the sums involved in the vote on account shall not exceed one-third of the estimate of expenditures for the financial year.
The parties staying outside the government have maintained that the caretaker government cannot bring even one-third budget without political consensus. “There must be political consensus even if the government chooses to bring a partial budget,” Gurung further said.
The joint meeting has also decided to submit a memorandum to President Dr Yadav on Wednesday asking him not to endorse the budget brought by the current caretaker government. “We have decided to urge the president to only endorse budget brought through political consensus,” said Mainali.
The opposition parties during the meeting also discussed intensifying protests against the current government to force it to step down at the earliest. Leaders present at the meeting said the opposition parties have decided to prepare a joint manifesto of the protest program, outlining its objectives.
The parties are scheduled to form a taskforce to prepare a joint manifesto of the protest program. “We are mulling to defy the decisions taken by the current unconstitutional government and exert pressure on the government to step down,” said a leader of the opposition party.
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