KATHMANDU, Nov 7: The ruling and opposition parties continue to remain at loggerheads over the new budget. While the government continues to make efforts to win opposition parties´ support, two main opposition parties -- Nepali Congress and CPN-UML-- have vowed to stop new budget.
A joint meeting of the two opposition parties held at the UML headquarters in Balkhu Tuesday afternoon also decided to ask President Ram Baran Yadav not to approve budget ordinance if the government brought it without political consensus. The two parties also decided to step up protest against the government if the new budget is brought without consensus.
Talking to media persons after the meeting, NC senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba said the opposition parties have decided to launch protest against the government. The forms of protests will be unveiled after a meeting among opposition parties on Thursday, he said.
NC Vice President Ram Chandra Paudel argued that there was no alternative to protests as the current government is angling to rule the country unilaterally, finishing off the democratic institutions. "We need to go to fresh election to institutionalize the federal democratic republic. Since the current government has stood as stumbling block to that end, there is no alternative to stepping up protest against the governmen”," he said.
Paudel alleged that Baburam Bhattarai-led government had been threatening the president and opposition parties instead of trying to forge consensus for fresh CA elections. "The CA election should be held after ousting the current government and forming a new national consensus government," he said, adding that they have decided to stage stringent protests against the current government.
The opposition party leaders have concluded that the government was trying to bring new budget unilaterally to plunder the state coffers.
Talking to media, UML leader Raghuji Panta said they cannot support to the current government to bring new budget without consensus“ "The president should reject the budget ordinance. We held discussions on putting our stance to the president. Current caretaker government cannot bring budget ordinance," he said.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun had held a meeting with NC President Sushil Koirala at the latter´s residence in Maharajgunj Tuesday morning. While asking Koirala not to obstruct new budget, Pun had also asked him to send Nepali Congress representative to help prepare new budget.
However, Koirala had turned down Pun´s request saying that the current government must first step down to pave the way for forming a national consensus government and the new government would bring a full budget.
Mishap if prez stops budget: PM´s aide
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai´s Political Advisor Devendra Poudel has warned that country could see a mishap if President Ram Baran Yadav rejected the budget ordinance forwarded by the government.
Speaking at Reporters´ Club Nepal in the capital Tuesday, Paudel said the prime minister has already informed to majority parties represented in the former Constituent Assembly, and industrialists and businessmen that the government would unveil a full budget by mid-December. "The president and the prime minister are in the same boat. The president won´t escape if the prime minister sinks," he said.
He also arguing that President Yadav cannot remove Prime Minister Bhattarai and said the prime minister won´t step down until the parties forge consensus on new government.
Addressing the function, Vice Chairman of Sadbhawana Party Laxman Lal Karna said the ruling parties will stage protest if the president stops a new budget.
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