WITHOUT F EAR OR FAVOUR Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXVIII No. 305 | 8 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 25.6 C -5.5 C Saturday, January 02, 2021 | 18-09-2077 Biratnagar Jumla National Assembly session begins but experts worry it could end soon With no lower house, upper house is the only legislative body to hold the government to account. BINOD GHIMIRE the House of Representatives and call KATHMANDU, JAN 1 midterm polls on April 30 and May 10 on the recommendation of the KP Parliament holds the government to Sharma Oli government. account. And raise that concern it did. But with the lower house dissolved “The dissolution of the House of it is now the upper house doing the Representatives is a step towards the role of the legislature. same totalitarian move,” said Jitendra The 59-member National Assembly Dev, a Nepali Congress lawmaker. is envisioned as the permanent House Oli had long been concentrating POST PHOTO: HEMANTA SHRESTHA in the bicameral system of legislature power in himself including by bring- A car race held during the inauguration of Himalayan Motorland Circuit in Dhulikhel on Friday. The high-altitude race track is prepared to host go-kart, car races and motorcycle racing events. in Nepal and its members are elected ing National Intelligence Department, by an electoral college of the people’s Department of Revenue Investigation representatives at the local and pro- and Department of Money Laundering vincial levels. Investigation under the Prime As the winter session of National Minister’s Office, Dev said. Assembly commenced on Friday, this Pramila Kumari, a lawmaker from Nepali Congress’ refusal to join protests raises eyebrows responsibility was not lost on Dina the Janata Samajbadi Party, said she Nath Sharma, parliamentary party is hopeful that the Supreme Court leader of the Nepal Communist Party revokes the government’s unconstitu- Dahal-Nepal faction reached out to it but Deuba wants to wait for verdict on House dissolution before deciding on protest. in the upper house. Addressing it, he tional decision to dissolve the House. said, “A bigger responsibility has >> Continued on page 2 ANIL GIRI Party besides the Congress on Samajbadi Party, on Monday the President Sher Bahadur Deuba come to the National Assembly KATHMANDU, JAN 1 Thursday but had to call off the plan Nepali Congress and on Tuesday the against it while the faction led by sen- to surveil the government and after it did not hear from the party. Dahal-Nepal faction of the Nepal ior leader Ram Chandra Poudel is hold it accountable. The upper The plan to hold a joint agitation of “After the Nepali Congress decided Communist Party. calling for the reinstatement of the house remains the only place to political parties against the dissolu- not to join in the protests with us, we ‘There are proposals to hold a joint lower house. put forth public concerns. tion of the House of Representatives are now thinking of charting out a protest but as of now we are not join- “Deuba has refused to meet our Therefore the responsibility has has come unstuck after the Nepali separate strategy,” said a central com- ing any one and this is our decision leaders so we could not hold discus- come on the shoulders of its Congress rejected a proposal of the mittee member of the Nepal taken by the party committee,” senior sion with the Nepali Congress to hold members to raise the concerns Nepal Communist Party faction led by Communist Party. Congress leader Minendra Rijal told the joint protest,”said Narayan Kaji of the people.” Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav So far the three main parties in the the Post. Shrestha, the Nepal Communist Party If the street protests are any- Nepal for it. dissolved House of Representatives The Nepali Congress is deeply spokesman who commands the pro- thing to go by, the concerns of The Dahal-Nepal faction had have already held separate protest divided over whether to hold tests launched by his party. “Poudel the people at the moment are planned to announce the joint protest programmes against the dissolution. protests against the dissolved was positive.” about the action of President that included the Janata Samajbadi On Sunday it was the Janata House of Representative with party >> Continued on page 2 Bidya Devi Bhandari to dissolve C M Y K SATURDAY, JANUARY 02, 2021 | 02 NATIONAL Nepali Congress’ refusal to join protests raises eyebrows >> Continued from page 1 But when and if the protests will Deuba has publicly said that the take place will depend on the Supreme Nepali Congress should wait for the Court’s verdict. court’s verdict and should not be in a “The case against the House disso- hurry to hold the protests. lution is pending in the Supreme More than a dozen writs have been Court,” he said. “We have to wait until filed at the Supreme Court calling for the court gives a verdict. After the House reinstatement arguing that its court’s verdict, we will decide accord- dissolution on December 20 by ingly.” President Bidya Devi Bhandari at the With the Nepali Congress not join- recommendation of Prime Minister ing hands with the Dahal-Nepal fac- KP Sharma Oli’s Cabinet and tion of the communist party, it is announcement of midterm elections unlikely that the Janata Samajbadi on April 30 and May 10 was “unconsti- Party will join. tutional”. After the Congress refused to hold The five-member constitutional joint protests, now there are slim bench of the Supreme Court has given chances of the parties staging the pro- the government up to January 3 to tests together, said Rajendra Mahato, submit the reasons for the dissolution senior leader of the Janata Samajbadi and hearing on it will resume on Party. January 6. Mahato was also critical of the The faction led by Poudel, however, stance taken by the Nepali Congress. is in favour of holding protests contin- “Shouldn’t Congress be taking the uously so that the court realises peo- initiative to hold a joint protest?” said ple’s power. Mahato. “Since the Nepali Congress Addressing the faction’s mass meet- was the primary opposition in the ing in Kathmandu on Tuesday, Nepal dissolved House, it should organise Communist Party chair Dahal had and lead the protest. It is its moral and called upon all political forces to joint- political duty. ” POST PHOTO: ANISH REGMI ly counter the anti-constitutional and It is not only political parties but A mobile crane unloads concrete poles to be installed for new electricity transmission lines along the Bagmati Corridor at Guheshwori, Kathmandu on Friday. anti-democratic move of Oli. also analysts that have been taken by Nepali Congress, on its part, is plan- surprise by the Congress decision. ning to hold protests on its own. “Nepali Congress’ decision not to “We have decided to hold protests hold protests has raised a suspicion separately, not joining hands with whether the Nepali Congress other parties. This is what our Central leadership is supporting Oli’s move,” BRIEFING Working Committee has decided,” Hari Roka, a political analyst, told Farmers in Thasang, Mustang said Rijal. the Post. No confidence motion filed against Mandal JANAKPUR: A no-confidence motion benefit from irrigation project has been filed against Satya Narayan National Assembly session Mandal, the Parliamentary Party Leader of the Nepal Communist The construction of an irrigation canal at Jhomo Phant in Tukuche has made it possible Party in Province 2. The Dahal-Nepal begins but experts worry faction has filed the no-confidence for people to return to their villages and start farming. motion against Mandal, citing that he supported Prime Minister KP PRATIKSHA KAFLE Sharma Oli’s move of House POKHARA, JAN 1 it could end soon dissolvement. Saroj Tulachan, a resident of Ward >> Continued from page 1 government. No. 1 in Thasang Rural Municipality, “I also strongly demand the govern- Of the 13 parliamentary commit- Vehicle of Finance Committee worked in Japan for 15 years before ment correct its undemocratic step by tees, four comprise upper house mem- chairman torched in Bheri returning to Nepal seven years ago. withdrawing the decision to dissolve bers. These are the Legislation “There was not much I could do in the House,” she said. Management Committee, Sustainable JAJARKOT: An unidentified group the village so I had to leave the coun- Besides the dissolution of the lower Development and Good Governance torched the vehicle of Ganesh Prasad try for employment. I worked really house, splitting of the ruling Nepal Committee, National Concerns and Singh, chairman of the Finance hard in Japan and saved some money Communist Party and the Oli govern- Coordination Committee and Committee in Karnali Province, on before coming back. I opened a hotel ment’s move to issue an ordinance to Delegation Management and Thursday night. According to the in Kathmandu with the money I had revise the Act related to the Government Assurance Committee. police, the vehicle (001 Jha 0040) of saved but my heart was not in it,” Constitutional Council to monopolise They evaluate the actions of the gov- the Karnali Province was torched in Tulachan told the Post. the appointments in constitutional ernment related to their areas of Ward No. 7 of Bheri Municipality. For Tulachan, his chance to return bodies are the political backdrops in watch. DSP Kishor Shrestha said, “The vehi- to his native village in Thasang Ward which the upper house has convened. According to Som Bahadur Thapa, a cle was parked near the house of No. 1 came with an irrigation project.