HEADLINE NEWS THE RISING NEPAL (DAILY)

MEMORANDUM SUBMITTED TO PM
Opposition parties blame govt for problems

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Feb. 5: Five opposition parties in the House of Representatives, including the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML), the main opposition party in the parliament, have submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala demanding his resignation.

The other parties are Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), Rastriya Janmorcha (RJM), Nepal Workers and Peasants Party (NWPP) and United People’s Front (UPF). However, Nepal Sadhvabana Party, the remaining party in the opposition bench in the parliament, is not involved in this.

A procession of the leaders of those parties, led by General Secretary of the CPN-UML, Madhav Kumar Nepal, went to the Prime Minister’s office at Singha Durbar today and submitted the 4-point memorandum.

The memorandum, signed by General Secretary of the CPN-UML Madhav Kumar Nepal, President of RPP Surya Bahadur Thapa, Dilaram Acharya MP of the Rastriya Janmorcha, President of NWPP Narayanman Bijukchhe and Lilamani Pokharel General Secretary of the United People’s Front, has accused that the government has failed to maintain a minimum standard of law and order in the country, questions are being asked on the government’s commitment towards human rights, the government has failed to make its presence felt in majority of sectors and the government has sought repressive measures instead of political solution to solve the Maoist problem and there are growing chilliness in Nepal’s relations with neighbouring countries.

They also accused the present government of failing completely to solve the problems faced by the country and there is no hope of improvement in the government.

The memorandum says that there is no alternative for Prime Minister Koirala than to resign to bring to effect the pledge against corruption, to make the government responsible towards the parliament, to make the government responsible towards the people, and to make the parliament effective.

After the submission of the memorandum the leaders of the opposition parties hold a press conference at the UML’s parliamentary party office in Singha Durbar.

At the press conference, UML’s General Secretary Nepal said the Prime Minister listened very intently to the memorandum when it was read out and when we said ‘you can not solve the country’s problems’ he became very serious.

Nepal said all the five parties were unanimous that the Prime Minister should resign, and they would discuss later on about their second step if the resignation does not come.

When asked why the NSP did not join their campaign, Nepal said he had talked to Badri Prasad Mandal, a leader of that party, and Mandal told him that NSP would not be too far apart from the other opposition parties.

Surya Bahadur Thapa of the RPP said they would devise their future strategies only after the government’s response to their demand. He said the consensus among them regarding the resignation of the Prime Minister will not break up.

Bijukchhe said if the Prime Minister should resigns on moral grounds and this would help solve the present problem.

However, when asked whether the opposition parties want another person from the Nepali Congress to replace Koirala, Lilamani Pokharel of the United People’s Front said that they were fighting against corruption and not on behalf of any other person of the Nepali Congress.

Other Stories