Khotang, February 4

Former prime minister and Naya Shakti Party-Nepal coordinator Baburam Bhattarai has accused the government of trudging along in the old pace.

“It’s not to say that the government hasn’t done anything in the past one year since it came into being, as it has formulated major laws, but it has clearly failed to meet people’s expectation,” said the NSP-N chief, speaking at a press meet organised in Diktel, Khotang,  today.

“While the government has failed to come up with major projects that could significantly change people’s lifestyle by creating enough employment opportunities, disappointment reigns in the public sentiment as the government has failed to ensure good governance, justice and peace and security,” Bhattarai observed.

Further, the former revolutionary leader underscored the need to empower the local level as an expedient to strengthen democracy in order to facilitate grassroots participation in each and every state mechanism and policymaking.

Bhattarai, who arrived here today as a part of his Mechi-Mahakali march, called his march conceptualised to sound out the public about the ways to purify the ‘corrupt’ and ‘deformed’ politics of the country.

“Development and prosperity should be inclusive, and people of all castes, genders, communities and regions should benefit from this. We, by interacting with the commoners, are also learning what people’s views are in this regard,” said the leader, who also stressed the need to develop towns along the Mid-hilly highways and set up industries there to stop the migration of people elsewhere and the flight of youths to foreign countries for employment.

Today, the locals of Diktel-Chakhewa Bhanjyang road section had met Bhattarai and sought his initiative to provide them compensation for their land used for the road.