Pokhara, March 23

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health Upendra Yadav today threatened to quit the government if the statute amendment was delayed.

Speaking at a press meet organised by Kaski chapter of Federal Press Forum in Pokhara, Yadav held that his party could not wait for the government to amend statute any longer. “Prime Minister KP Oli has pledged not to backtrack from amending the constitution, but Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal is about to lose its patience,” Yadav stated.

Yadav reiterated that his party would quit the government when his party felt that statute amendment was prolonged unnecessarily.

“We have run out of patience. When we feel that the government is delaying amendment, we shall withdraw support to the government,” Yadav noted.

Yadav said it was absurd to stay in the government if the condition they put for joining the government was not met. “We no longer want to keep sticking to power. The statute promulgated in haste has flaws which should be rectified through amendment,” Yadav added. He stressed that the government of two-thirds majority should amend the statute and settle political problem facing the country.

On a different note, Yadav said the federal government should delegate maximum resources, facilities and rights to make federalism a success. “If provinces are not delegated authority and empowered, federalism will fail,” Yadav warned.

Yadav advised the Netra Bikram Chand-led Nepal Communist Party to renounce violence and join mainstream politics. “Chand and his party have to shun violence and join mainstream politics. Yadav termed bomb explosion and violence carried out by the Chand-led party useless as the country had adopted federal democratic republic. “Today, a party can have its demands fulfilled through a peaceful means,” Yadav said.

Yadav said talks were underway among Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal, Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal, and Naya Shakti Party- Nepal for unification.  Yadav said that the paltry budget allocated to the health sector had deprived locals of health services. “The country is in need of 21,000 doctors, but the government has just 1,400 doctors right now. How can such a tiny manpower provide health services to people?” Yadav questioned.

(Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health Upendra Yadav speaking at a press meet, in Pokhara, on Saturday.