Kathmandu, May 25

With the KP Sharma Oli-led government completing its 100 days in office, the main opposition Nepali Congress has pointed out 12 ‘anomalies’.

In a video message titled ‘average speed, dozen anomalies’ issued by NC Spokesperson Bishwa Prakash Sharma, the party said the government began its work with an anomaly, in which Oli took the oath of the office and secrecy of prime minister without being sworn in as a member of parliament. “On top of that he did not swear by god or the people while taking the oath of office and secrecy,” said Sharma.

The NC said the government made another mistake by pressuring President Bidhya Devi Bhandari to reject National Assembly nominee recommended by the previous NC-led government.

Against the spirit of federalism, which envisions decentralisation of power, the government made the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers more powerful by bringing under it institutions such as Department of Money Laundering Investigation and National Investigation Department, according to the NC.

The NC also accused the government of double standards on the issue of constitution amendment. “The ruling party, which once termed the Nepali Congress anti-national for tabling the constitutional amendment proposal, hinted at accepting the amendment after coming to power. However, it has so far only used the issue as a bargaining tool while dealing with  Madhes-based parties,” it said.

The main opposition party also labelled the white paper an anomaly. Stating that the white paper only included negative indicators to paint a bleak picture of the economy, the NC said the white paper’s claims had been proven false by the government’s policies and programmes, which envisioned double-digit economic growth.

“If the economy is in a shambles as stated by the white paper, on what basis the government thinks it would achieve double digit growth?” questioned Sharma. “So neither the government coffers are empty, nor is the economy in a shambles.”

The NC also pointed out that the government failed to appoint chief justice in the Supreme Court even after 100 days of its formation. “Can the Supreme Court be kept headless for so long?” it questioned.

According to the NC, the government the government was neglecting provinces instead of strengthening them, which was evident by the fact that provincial chief ministers were complaining about being helpless and non-cooperation from the centre. On top of that, none of the provinces have been assigned names except for the Karnali Province.

The NC also said that the ultra-nationalist image the prime minister sought to build was exposed during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Nepal visit last month.

“Instead of strengthening and boosting morale of the bureaucracy, which is also called the permanent government, the government is seeking to demoralise the institution,” said Sharma.

Referring to PM Oli’s statement that the NC was not an opposition, Sharma reminded that there’s always an opposition in democracy. He also said that the government failed to take necessary measures to curb skyrocketing prices.

Finally, the NC charged that the government was trying to sell dreams through the policies and programmes. “The policies and programmes are announced for a year. However, the government announced long-term goals, which suggests the government only wants to sell dreams. It has announced numerous goals, but has not mentioned the ways to achieve the goals.”