Be ready to quit government : PM Dahal
"We need to be action-oriented in the coming days as I have said in the past, we have a large number of leaders and cadres and yet we have not been able to work as a political party,"
KATHMANDU : Prime Minister and Chair of the ruling CPN-Maoist Centre Pushpa Kamal Dahal told party leaders that his government’s policies and actions had given people new hope and the party needed to transform people’s hope into the party’s organisational strength.Addressing the party’s Central Committee meeting here today, Dahal said the party should cash in on the positive momentum created by the government.
The PM said that his government had started a ‘clean up drive’ and the party should be ready to leave the government if that risk arose due to the government’s actions. The PM’s hint was aimed at some positive steps taken by his government with regard to service delivery and anti-corruption drive, including prosecution of some high profile people accused in the Lalita Niwas land grab case and fake Bhutanese refugee scam.
“We need to be action-oriented in the coming days as I have said in the past, we have a large number of leaders and cadres and yet we have not been able to work as a political party,” he added.According to CPN-MC leader Lilamani Pokharel, the PM said his government would ensure that all actions against corrupt behaviour and in favour of good governance would reach their conclusions.
“We will not pause our actions against corrupt behaviour no matter what the consequence is. If the worst comes to worst, we will have to leave the government and we should be ready for that,” Pokharel quoted the PM as saying. The PM also said his government had given priority to taking action against corruption and ensuring good governance and service delivery.
The PM said that the Socialist Front was created to advance the cause of socialism and build congruence among the constituents, but the government would act independently without being constrained by the front or any other factor.Some political leaders demanded that the party should go for elected leadership, putting emphasis on electing all the office bearers of the party, including the party chair.
When asked if the demand for elected leadership was a criticism of the Dahal-led government, Pokharel said it was natural for party leaders to criticise or praise the leadership.The Standing Committee of the CPN-MC had decided not to livestream the party’s Central Committee meeting. CPN- MC lawmaker Madhav Sapkota, who attended the party meet today, said that the party’s Standing Committee decided not to livestream the party meet mainly to allow all party leaders to express their views clearly without any hesitation.
“We are of the view that livestreaming the meeting may not serve the purpose because under the glare of media some leaders might not say openly what they feel about various issues,” he said and added that the party had been issuing press statements on those issues which it felt necessary to let the public know, but internal matters of the party should not be livestreamed.A few days ago, Nepali Congress livestreamed its Central Working Committee meeting as NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba insisted. The rival faction led by Shekhar Koirala and some other key leaders of the party, however, did not like the idea.
