Oli’s ‘unilateral style’ irks CPN-MC

Kathmandu April 9

CPN-Maoist Centre ministers and senior leaders will oppose Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s ‘unilateral style of functioning’ and urge him to adopt collective style of functioning.

CPN-MC leader Dev Gurung, who was present today when seven CPN-MC ministers discussed some of the recent decisions of the prime minister with party Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal, said the CPN-MC leaders and ministers would raise the issue with the PM.

He added that the CPN-MC ministers and leaders were irked over the PM’s unilateral decision to  transfer  30 government secretaries, prepare  government’s  policies and programmes and new fiscal year budget and bring some agencies under his control without consulting CPN-MC.

Gurung told THT that the PM should take coalition partners into confidence.

He said Dahal would raise these concerns in the Party Unification Coordination Committee, while CPN-MC ministers would do so in the Cabinet meeting.

The PM had transferred 30 government secretaries before embarking on India visit. He also brought National Investigation Department under the PMO. Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa is miffed at the PM since NID was under the home ministry earlier. Gurung said the PM didn’t even consult CPN-MC while fixing the ceiling of the federal, provincial and local government budgets, as well as the budgets of federal ministries.

According to CPN-MC Spokesperson Pampha Bhusal, CPN-MC ministers said  Finance Minister Yubaraj Khatiwada and National Planning Commission’s higher authorities were working on the government’s policies and programmes without consulting them.

Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, who leads the CPN-MC in the Cabinet, had called all ministers of the party at his official residence in Pulchowk, Lalitpur, on Friday to discuss the matter.

A  PUCC meeting may not happen tomorrow, as senior UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal is visiting China, while Dahal is scheduled to visit Dhankuta tomorrow.  Dahal may, however, meet Oli tomorrow.