BHAIRAHAWA, OCTOBER 3

The decision to designate Bhalubang of Dang as the permanent capital for Province 5 has sparked a dispute within the ruling party.

Following agreement between the two chairpersons of the ruling party, the provincial government yesterday had tabled a proposal to declare Dang’s Bhalubang as the province’s permanent headquarters.

At a meeting of the ruling NCP (NCP) parliamentary party held today to discuss the proposal, 14 PA members of the ruling party wrote a note of dissent.

Rupandehi’s Bhoj Prasad Shrestha and Dadhiram Neupane, Kapilvastu’s Bishnu Panthi, Palpa’s Yubaraj Khanal, among 10 other ruling party PA members had taken exception to the decision to site the province capital in Dang.

They also demanded that they be allowed to put forth their views freely in the Provincial Assembly and that the party refrain from issuing any injunction to prevent them from airing their independent views.

An NCP PA member, who participated in today’s meeting, revealed that NCP (NCP) Province 5 in-charge and Chief Minister Shankar Pokharel had directed the party PA not to go against the party decision.

Meanwhile, Nepali Congress has called a bandh across Rupandehi tomorrow to protest the provincial government’s decision to site the permanent capital in Dang.

The party has also called on youths, students, industrialists and traders and various political party cadres to participate in the agitation.

NC has also declared it will picket the provincial assembly building from 10:00am on Monday morning.

Rupandehi Trade Association has also condemned the proposal of the provincial government to locate the province’s permanent headquarters in Dang. It has sought withdrawal of the proposal.

Feature image: File

A version of this article appears in e-paper on October 4, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.