WITHOUT F EAR OR FAVOUR Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXVIII No. 294 | 8 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 24.7 C -4.5 C Tuesday, December 22, 2020 | 07-09-2077 Biratnagar Jumla House dissolution: Whether it’s lawful is now for Supreme Court to decide Despite political parties terming Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s move ‘unconstitutional’, in terms of its legality the final arbiter will be the court. BINOD GHIMIRE KATHMANDU, DEC 21 When Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s Cabinet recommended the disso- lution of the House of Representatives on Sunday morning, constitutional experts, politicians and other observ- ers were quick to label the move “unconstitutional” and called on President Bidya Devi Bhandari to have consultations on the recommen- dation. But by afternoon, she dissolved Parliament and announced the dates POST PHOTO for midterm elections . The statement The hearing will start on Wednesday. from the Office of the President cited Article 76 (1) and (7) and Article faction led by Nepal Communist Party POST PHOTO: KESHAV THAPA 85 of the constitution and announced chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal and senior A protester holds a placard saying ‘Parliament dissolution: the biggest mockery of democracy’ from inside a police van after his detention from outside Singha Durbar, Kathmandu on Monday. the dissolution in “the spirit and leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, Nepali Police rounded up 16 human rights activists and civil society members while protesting against the KP Sharma Oli government’s move of dissolving the House of Representatives. value of the parliamentary system Congress and other political parties as and the practice within our parlia- well as sections of the public have mentary system and in the different started approaching the Supreme countries”. Court to decide whether the dissolu- While Article 76 (7)of the constitu- tion was “unconstitutional”. tion allows for the dissolution of the Since the dissolution was Oli’s move of dissolving the House has brought Nepal House if a government cannot be announced, 13 writs have already been formed if no party has a majority in registered in the Supreme Court the House, Article 85 (1) states, “Unless against it. Of them 11 have been regis- dissolved earlier pursuant to this con- tered claiming the decision to dissolve Communist Party to a moment of truth stitution, the term of the House of the Lower House is against the consti- Representatives shall be five years.” tution and therefore has asked the With the House dissolved, those Supreme Court that it be revoked. The party has, in effect, split. It’s just a matter of time when a formal announcement is made, insiders say. opposing Oli’s move, including the >> Continued on page 2 rival factions. Oli has tried to justify his action of dissolving the House of Representatives, saying the opponent faction not only created hindrance in his functioning but also made attempts to unseat him. The Dahal faction has said Oli took an unconstitutional move to dissolve the House. With the government’s House disso- lution move already with the Supreme Court, both factions are now in a bid to conserve energy for the showdown. Nonetheless, none wants to be seen as the cause for the split. “The prime minister said at today’s meeting that he had to take the drastic step of dissolving the House because some party leaders were preparing to POST ILLUSTRATION move a no confidence motion against Both chairs have called separate meetings of the party’s Central Committee on Tuesday. him,” Nirudevi Pal, a lawmaker close to Oli, told reporters after the Oli fac- TIKA R PRADHAN trol of the party. While the Dahal fac- tion’s meeting at Baluwatar on KATHMANDU, DEC 21 tion has called a Central Committee Monday morning. “They were also in meeting on Tuesday, the Oli camp has a bid to impeach the President.” In effect, the Nepal Communist Party done the same–on the same day. A Later in the afternoon, as many as has split now. A formal announcement Standing Committee meeting by the 90 lawmakers and some 24 members is not if but when. Dahal faction on Sunday proposed of the Upper House from the Dahal The two factions led by chairs KP disciplinary action against Oli camp gathered at the parliament Sharma Oli, also the prime minister, while a meeting of the Oli faction on building in Baneshwor to discuss Oli’s and Pushpa Kamal Dahal are now Monday not only rejected it decision to dissolve the House. busy making strategies to wrest con- but demanded action against the >> Continued on page 2 Political instability could affect recovery of the economy hit by the pandemic With elections announced, government policy will not be stable to attract investment and businesses will be pressed for donations for parties’ poll campaigns, experts say. PRITHVI MAN SHRESTHA ery will be affected by the govern- the small and medium enterprise and KATHMANDU, DEC 21 ment bureaucracy under the caretak- tourism industry. er government as it will not be much “At a time when the business com- The dissolution of the House of interested in implementing develop- munity is in need of relief and reha- Representatives and the call for elec- ment projects and policies aimed at bilitation, they will be under increas- tions has worried economists and helping the businesses hit hard by the ing pressure to donate to the political investors that political instability will pandemic,” said Shankar Sharma, for- parties and leaders for the elections if impact the economy already devastat- mer vice-chairman of the National they are held as announced,” Sharma ed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Planning Commission. “The private said. “The government which is strug- President Bidya Devi Bhandari on sector also will be in wait-and-see gling to generate resources to fund the Sunday dissolved the lower house and mode before making any further rehabilitation of the Covid-19 affected announced the dates for midterm elec- investments amid political uncertain- sectors, will have to spend big on hold- tions in April as per the recommenda- ties.” ing the elections.” tion of Prime Minister KP Sharma Nepal stock exchange index plunged Elections are becoming increasing- Oli, who for long has been embroiled by 96.88 points on Sunday with the ly expensive. A study carried out by a in a bitter dispute with other top lead- market responding to the shock news domestic election observer group in ers within his own party. that Oli had recommended for dissolu- 2017 had shown that the government, “In the short-term, economic recov- tion of the House of Representatives political parties and candidates spent although it went up by 30.33 an estimated Rs131.63 billion in total points on Monday. during the three tiers of elections held Even though economic activi- that year. ties have been picking up along The study by the Election with the relaxation in prohibito- Observation Committee, Nepal ry orders in a number of sectors, revealed that the government spent some in the service industry Rs34.72 billion while the candidates including tourism, education, and their supporters spent as high as party palaces have continued to Rs96.91 billion in total. remain largely closed. Former Finance Minister Ram It took nearly six months for Sharan Mahat said that holding elec- the government to implement tions has become an expensive propo- the relief programme announced sition in recent years. in the budget in May targeting >> Continued on page 2 C M Y K TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2020 | 02 NATIONAL Residents of remote Sindhupalchok villages living without basic facilities The villages are cut off from even the most basic facilities such as roads, electricity, health services and schools. ANISH TIWARI during medical emergencies. Their Gumbathan-based higher level is already connected to the road net- SINDHUPALCHOK, DEC 21 agriculture products--potatoes, rad- schools,” he said. work. Now, we are going to extend the ish and barley, among other crops-- According to the local unit, most road to Tembathan,” said Hom Yangzi Sherpa of Tembathan in also have no market. of the youths in Tembathan are daily Narayan Shrestha, chairman of the Jugal Rural Municipality, “We cannot sell our agricultural wage workers in Kathmandu and rural municipality. Sindhupalchok, had to take a loan of produce in the market, as there’s no some have gone overseas in search of “We have also recently established Rs 200,000 to charter a helicopter to road to transport our products. We employment. The villagers also have a health unit in Tembathan with an bring her pregnant daughter-in-law would not have to spend so much to rely on kerosene lamps during Auxiliary Nurse Midwife and a to Kathmandu for treatment. money on helicopters if our village night, as the settlements do not have health worker. It is equipped to pro- “It’s been months since I took the was connected to the road network,” electricity connection, said Mingmar vide treatment for minor ailments,” loan but I still haven’t been able to said Yangzi. Lama, 34, of Tembathan. said Shrestha. “We also plan to pay back,” said the 63-year-old. “I had Mingmar Sherpa, a local resident Meanwhile, the people’s represent- upgrade the basic school up to sec- to take a loan since I don’t make of Tembathan, is 29 years old. A daily atives in Jugal Rural Municipality ondary level.” much money by herding cattle.” wage worker, he has studied only up claim that they are taking initiatives But the villagers are sceptical of Dipu, Tega and Tembathan villag- to grade five in Tembathan Basic to launch development projects in the assurances provided by the peo- es in the rural municipality are just School.