Kathmandu, August 6 :

Leaders of the major political parties said today the government’s honeymoon period was productive but much more could have been done on peace process, interim statute, government, parliament and an election to a constituent assembly.

“You are very much familiar with what the government and parliament have done in the last 100 days. But crime rate has increased in the country, including the capital,” Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba said addressing a programme organised by the Association of Mental Sickness Abolition Nepal.

Deuba said there has been a major problem about the question of arms management. He said that he had told Maoist leader Prachanda that they could not come to government without decommissioning their arms.

There is also fear among the political stakeholders that the Nepali Army is not reliable because of its past activities, Deuba said.

“But the security agencies which depend on taxpayers’ money should be accountable to the parliament and the government and the state must provide security to the rebels once they lay down their arms,” Deuba said, adding that political problem should be sorted out politically.

CPN-UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal said that the 100 days of the government and the parliament were positive though more decisions could have been done on the issues of peace process, interim statute, interim government, arms management and even the date for an election to a constituent assembly could have also been declared.

Nepal said the government and the parliament did not have any clear vision and action plan about the things to be done in the days to come. He lamented that the peace process could not move ahead due to lack of package solution to all the issues related to the peace process, including arms management.

“We talk more about Maoist arms management but do not act on democratising the Nepali Army. It has created suspicion,” he said, adding that the army would never be democratised and made accountable to the government unless feudal practices in it are abolished. Appreciating achievements made by the government in 100 days, Nepali Congress general secretary Ram Chandra Poudel said the honeymoon period of the government and parliament were “historical”.

“We are not hesitated in transforming the country. But we are definitely hesitated about the said October Revolution as mentioned by Prachanda,” Poudel said, adding: “That’s why we need to be cautious while taking each and every decision.”