KATHMANDU, MARCH 30
Prime Minister Balendra (Balen) Shah and members of parliament (MPs) held high-level discussions today at Singha Durbar about budget and constituency issues.
As part of the discussion, PM Shah met lawmakers from various political parties in Koshi and Karnali provinces today at Singha Durbar. The prime minister began discussions with the Koshi Province MPs.
According to lawmakers who attended the meeting, the discussion focused on the strategic allocation of the upcoming national budget, with a priority on immediate infrastructure needs and disaster relief.
The meeting, held prior to the formal budget implementation in July, aimed to address an increase in local development demands despite limited national resources.
Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) lawmaker Yagyamani Neupane, who was elected from Morang Constituency-1, Koshi, told THT that discussions were under way to identify urgent projects to stabilise the economy and address public needs before the new fiscal year.
"The primary topic of discussion was the upcoming budget. Before the official budget is unveiled on Jestha 15 (May 29) and implemented on Shrawan 1 (July 17), there are immediate, emergency tasks that must be completed," he stated.
"The main point was to identify immediate issues. Second, we talked about how to distribute the upcoming budget fairly. We have limited resources and many needs, so the prime minister convened a discussion on these issues."
He emphasised that some projects span multiple constituencies or districts. "We talked about these shared projects and how to proceed with them. We addressed both local and shared issues. The conclusion was to allocate the budget fairly based on the severity of the problems. The PM has committed to take action to address immediate issues affecting people's lives," he said.
When asked about the total number of lawmakers who took part in the discussion, he replied, "I didn't count exactly, but the majority were there. Only a few of Harka Sampang's party members were missing, I believe."
MP Sampang, who is also the chair of the Shram Sanskriti Party, did not attend the meeting called by the prime minister, stating on Facebook, "The prime minister has not taken the initiative to convene the House and called for a closed meeting. We will not be attending the closed meeting. The House meeting should be called. The meeting should occur at least once per week. You cannot avoid the people's questions; all questions must be answered, Jai Loktantra."
When asked if the topic of former prime minister KP Sharma Oli and former home minister Ramesh Lekhak's case came up because there were also CPN-UML lawmakers in attendance, Neupane stated, "That was not the topic of the meeting. We only discussed the items on the agenda. This was not a political discussion; it was solely about the budget, its allocation, and immediate needs such as disaster relief for recent windstorms."
He emphasised that the court had already established a deadline for investigation. Once the judiciary has made a decision, it is no longer up for public debate.
"Whether I speak as a lawyer, a member of the RSP, or a citizen, the court has determined that detention is necessary for investigation. This has become a legal issue rather than a political one," Neupane said, emphasising the separation of powers. He noted that the court had already validated the detention by granting a five-day investigation period based on the charges presented.
Another RSP lawmaker, Ashok Kumar Chaudhary, stated that PM Shah met lawmakers to discuss provincial problems and necessary intervention measures. "PM Shah took sector-specific briefings. Even the works to be carried out immediately were discussed on the occasion," he added.
He also suggested to the prime minister that he take the initiative to amend Section 38 (8) of the Labour Act of 2017, which would prevent trade unions from collecting the levy.
Following the discussion with Koshi Province lawmakers, Prime Minister Shah spoke with Karnali Province's directly-elected legislators. Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) lawmaker Gyan Bahadur (Gyanendra) Shahi described the meeting with Prime Minister Shah as positive, fruitful and energetic.
According to him, the meeting covered a variety of important issues for Nepal's overall and long-term development, including Karnali Province. He stated that special emphasis was placed on topics such as strengthening the basic infrastructure of development, improving the education and health sectors, creating jobs, promoting tourism and making the best use of local resources.
"A clear vision has also been established to contribute to national prosperity through the inclusive development of Karnali. This meeting has laid the groundwork for positive cooperation and hope for the future," he stated.
After the elected MPs from Karnali urged not to discriminate against Karnali in the budget, Prime Minister Shah stated that no matter what happened in the past, Karnali will not face discrimination in development work now.
"There will be no discrimination against Karnali in the budget; justice will prevail," PM Shah stated.
