Tag: KP Sharma Oli

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Nepal: Oli’s party gives 24-hour ultimatum

The UML and Congress on Monday night agreed to form a new government…reports Asian Lite News

The Communist Party of Nepal- Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) under the leadership of KP Sharma Oli on Monday gave a 24-hour ultimatum to Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ to step down from the post.

The secretariat meeting held late in the evening decided to urge Prime Minister Dahal to step down. The meeting also has decided to hold the resignation of the ministers until the given time.

“The party secretariat meeting held at the party office has decided to call on the Prime Minister to step down from the post within 24 hours paving the way for the formation of a new government. The new government will be formed in line with the agreement sealed between the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML as per Clause 76 (2) of the Nepal constitution. The ministers would resign from the post on Thursday morning and the party will formally withdraw the support extended to the incumbent government,” Yogesh Bhattarai, Secretary of CPN-UML told ANI.

The meeting further urged all political parties to bolster political stability by participating in the ‘national consensus’ government under chair KP Sharma Oli’s leadership.

The UML and Congress on Monday night agreed to form a new government. Oli would lead a new ‘national consensus’ government for a year and a half. For the remaining term, ex-PM Sher Bahadur Deuba will be the prime minister.

Prime Minister Dahal expressed reluctance to resign immediately. The office-bearers’ meeting of the CPN (Maoist Centre) held in Baluwatar on Tuesday decided that the Prime Minister will not tender his resignation but instead face a trust vote in Parliament within 30 days since the retraction of support.

The latest decision of the PM comes after the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML have struck a midnight deal to form a new alliance. As per the agreement signed in between Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and the UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli, an agreement of sharing one and half year’s tenure each has been reached in between the leaders till the next elections.

A committee is also formed to suggest amendments to the election procedures and the constitution under the leadership of former Chief Justice Kalyan Shrestha.

In the overnight agreement, the largest and the second largest party in the parliament drafted a constitutional amendment agreement where it was stated that the Vice President would be made the chairman of the National Assembly.

Leaders from the Congress and the UML informed President Ram Chandra Paudel about the change in coalition.

During the meeting, the leaders informed the President about activating Section 76 (2) to form a new government in case the incumbent Prime Minister fails to win the vote of confidence after UML withdraws its support. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Oli to return as Nepal PM after midnight coalition deal

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‘Neighbours intervening in Nepal’s affairs’: Oli again targets India

The former Nepali PM said that external forces have developed an unnecessary interest in the formation of the government in Nepal, reports Asian Lite News

Chairman of Nepal’s ruling party UML and former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli once again vented his ire against India on Saturday, saying that the neighbouring countries are taking unnecessary interest in the formation of the government in the Himalayan country.

At a programme organised in Kathmandu, Oli said that external forces have developed an unnecessary interest in the formation of the government in Nepal.

With the support of UML and Oli, the Chairman of CPN (Maoist Center), Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda, has become the Prime Minister of Nepal after the single largest party in the Parliament, Nepali Congress, refused to hand over the PM’s post to Prachanda.

Before the November 20 elections, Nepali Congress and Maoist Center had an electoral alliance where they fought the elections together under the democratic-left alliance.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with KP Sharma Oli (Photo IANS/PIB)

But after the elections, Nepali Congress refused to give the post of Prime Minister to Prachanda at the last minute. UML’s Oli then took a chance and extended support to Prachanda in a dramatic move.

On Saturday, Oli said that some neighbours are still trying to cross the wall and interfere with the internal affairs of the country.

“This is a government formed by Nepalis. There were some attempts not to allow Nepalis to form the government,” Oli said, without naming India.

“I urged our neighbours not to innerve in our government formation process. Some forces were trying to destabilise Nepal’s politics, but we gave it stability,” said Oli.

The former Prime Minister is known as a nationalist leader who had won the elections in 2017 under the nationalist plank.

He had again raised the anti-India sentiment and the issue of boundaries during the November 20 elections.

With the support of UML and Oli, the Chairman of CPN (Maoist Center), Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda, has become the Prime Minister of Nepal after the single largest party in the Parliament, Nepali Congress, refused to hand over the PM’s post to him.

With the support of UML, Rastriya Swatantra Party, and others, Prachanda was sworn-in as the Prime Minister on December 26 last year.

“Some of our friends, not through the door but by jumping over the the wall, are entering our house and trying to change the government, which is not possible. This kind of activity is not accepted,” said Oli.

“I urge our neighbors not to intervene in the internal matters of Nepal,” he added.

This is not the first time that Oli had vented his ire against India.

Nepal had issued a new map in May 2020, when Oli was the Prime Minister, incorporating a disputed territory which falls in India, leading to a territorial dispute between the two neighbouring countries.

ALSO READ: Major trade route between Nepal-China reopens

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Nepal feels hopeful as Deuba takes office

Nepal under the Prime Minister-ship of K.P. Sharma Oli had been occupying the international headlines for uncertainties and political instability….reports Asian Lite News

The restoration of Nepal’s dissolved lower house of Parliament by the Supreme Court and Sher Bahadur Deuba becoming the Prime Minister for the fifth term by winning the trust vote by a comfortable margin, has finally helped the Nepalese to heave a sigh of relief.

Nepal under the Prime Minister-ship of K.P. Sharma Oli had been occupying the international headlines for all the wrong reasons and the Himalayan nation plunged into uncertainties and political instability.

With almost one and a half years to go for the next general elections, Deuba as the most favourite choice to head the country, has already announced that his top priority would be to ensure that all the Nepalese are vaccinated against Covid-19 even as the threat of a third wave of the pandemic looms large.

Though it is not certain what lies in store for the bilateral relations between Nepal and India, the statements of the Prime Ministers of both the countries have raised hopes that the ever-worsening ties would soon improve.

Deuba was instrumental in signing eight Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) during his India visit in August 2017. The MoUs largely helped in reconstruction of Nepal that was badly hit by an earthquake in 2015.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first to congratulate Deuba after he won the confidence vote is a clear cut indication that the unique and millenia-old people-to-people linkages that underpin the special friendship between the two countries would take greater heights.

ALSO READ: New roads, transport corridors could boost India-Nepal ties

Modi has also assured of supply of Covid-19 vaccines. It is expected that the supply of one million doses of vaccines from India which was stalled, will soon resume.

Deuba’s diplomatic and political statements, including the one when he visited India in 2017 as the Prime Minister, proved his maturity in regard to how to maintain a balanced ties with both India and China. However, this time China has every other reason not to expect the same benevolence as it used to get during the time of Oli.

In a bid to portray India into bad light despite its best efforts to take the bilateral relation to a greater height, Oli tried to work overtime to appease its northern neighbour.

Oli’s egoistic rhetoric would have only caused more damage to the tiny country in the long run.

Deuba has a challenging task to outdo the wrong.

At least four of the eight MoUs signed in 2017, including utilisation of India’s Housing Grant Component to support reconstruction of 50,000 houses had largely helped Nepal.

Similarly MoUs on implementation of reconstruction packages in the education sector, cultural heritage sector and in the health sector in Nepal, were the testimony of how Deuba was a pragmatic leader who could easily visualise the issues and prioritize them.

India’s Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla during his two-day-long Nepal visit in November 2020, reiterated that the two nations are the closest friends and would work together to fine tune the same.

Deuba echoed the same immediately after he became the Prime Minister.

Though Deuba holds a record of not completing his tenure every time he became the Prime Minister, the way he won the trust vote this time sends a signal that he would continue to enjoy comfortable support till the time the country goes to the general election.

Though it is too early to project what lies in store for Nepal known for its political instability, Nepalese people at large are hopeful that a new dawn would usher under Deuba’s leadership.

And the development process stalled due to political quagmire, would move on fast track, under the leadership of the President of Nepali Congress Party.

ALSO READ: Nepal confirms new mutant of Delta variant of Covid-19

ALSO READ: Is China worried about new change in Nepal?

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Nepal President Dissolves Parliament, Election In November

Nepali President Bidya Devi Bhandari reviews the honor guard as she leaves for a visit to China at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, capital of Nepal, April 24, 2019. Nepali President Bidya Devi Bhandari left for a visit to China on Wednesday to attend the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. (Xinhua/Sunil Sharma/IANS)

Nepal President has authenticated the recommendation made by the Cabinet to dissolve the House and declare the snap polls for November 12 and 19, reports Asian Lite News

In a dramatic turn of events, Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Friday midnight dissolved the Parliament as per the recommendation of the government and declared to hold midterm elections on November 12 and 19.

As per the constitutional provision, the President has authenticated the recommendation made by the Cabinet to dissolve the House and declare the snap polls for November 12 and 19, a notice issued by the President Office read.

This is for the second time that the House has been dissolved. Earlier, President Bhandari had dissolved the House on December 20 last year but later it was reinstated on February 23. The decision to dissolve the house came hours after a new government formation bid failed.

Nepal
K P Sharma Oli.

While invalidating both petitions registered by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba staking claim for the post of prime minister, Bhandari has stated that the claims made by the both Oli and Deuba have failed to meet the required provisions and as such, neither Oli or Deuba can form the new government.

On Thursday, President Bhandari had called on to form the new government as per the Article 76-5 of the Constitution. Before the deadline expired, Oli and Deuba claimed the formation of the new government with majority of the signatures.

Later, President Bhandari issued a statement saying that she did not see any reliable reason behind claims made by Oli and Deuba to form the new government and therefore she is not going to appoint a new Prime Minister.

ALSO READ – Nepal confirms new Covid-19 variant

The claim made by both Oli and Deuba was insufficient, a statement by the President Office said, hence the claim made by both leaders could not meet the required numbers. Based on the signatures and claims by the both sides, the President Office said that there is no concrete basis for both the claimants to get a vote of confidence from the Parliament as per the Article 76-5 of the Constitution.

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Tough times ahead for Oli

Prime Minister Oli is in a difficult position inside his own party, Nepal Communist Party-UML, as Nepali Congress (NC) has decided to seek his resignation nd initiate the formation of a new government under its leadership, reports Asian Lite News

Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli who is in trouble inside his own party, is likely to face tougher days ahead as the primary opposition, Nepali Congress (NC) has decided to seek his resignation and initiate the formation of a new government under its leadership.

The decisions were taken at a Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting of the NC.

NC spokesperson Bishaw Prakash Sharma said the part has decided to seek Oli’s resignation as he has not taken any initiative of a way forward despite the House of Representatives, which he dissolved in December 2020, being restored.

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Prime Minister Oli himself is in a difficult position inside his own party, Nepal Communist Party-UML.

A section of the party led by former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal is forming parallel party structures within the UML after Oli suspended four senior leaders, including Nepal, for six months.

Oli accused Nepal and other leaders for being involved in anti-party activities and violating rules and norms.

After Oli dissolved the House on December 20, 2020, a section of party leaders upped the ante against the Prime Minister and sought his resignation.

On February 23, the Supreme Court of Nepal reinstated the House but Oli refused to step down.

The apex court on March 7 dropped another bombshell invoking the 2018 party merger between Oli’s UML and Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda’s Nepal Communist Party-Maoist Center.

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Nepal, who was earlier close with Prachanda, returned to his mother party but Oli refused to incorporate them for supporting Dahal when the party was united under the banner of Nepal Communist Party.

After Oli refused to welcome Nepal and his faction inside the old party, the Prime Minister’s party has once again landed in fresh trouble.

After the Supreme Court split the Nepal Communist Party into two, the UML and Maoist Center, now, the Prachanda-led Maoist Center is also preparing to withdraw support lent to Oli in 2018 before the party unification.

If Maoist Center withdrew its support, Oli’s party will automatically reduce to a minority government.

Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli

In that case, either Oli has to take a vote of confidence or face a no-confidence motion.

Nepali Congress’s decision to seek Oli’s resignation is a welcome step and time has come to remove Oli, former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai said on Saturday.

Time has come for other opposition parties to play their role, Bhattarai said, adding, today our foremost priority is to remove Oli.

Meanwhile, Oli said that he was also aware of what the opposition are doing.

Also Read – Dissolution was inevitable to save the country: Oli

“First withdraw your support to the government. Then I will resign,” he said, adding that this is not the first time that his resignation has been sought.

“I cannot resign to meet each and every demand.”

Meantime, the Nepali Congress’ decision to seek Oli’s resignation and unseat him, could create a new political equation in Nepal.

If three opposition parties, Nepali Congress, Maoist Center and Janata Samajbai Party come together, they will easily unseat Oli.

And party leaders have said that now time has come to expedite talks between the opposition to unseat Oli.