Kathmandu, November 22

The main opposition Nepali Congress today charged both the government and agitating parties with operating parallel economy by supporting black-marketing in a systematic way and smuggling goods from the Nepal-India border.

“When I was going to Sanepa-based Congress headquarters from my Balaju-based residence on Friday, I saw cooking gas cylinders being distributed directly from trucks on the roadside. This is black-marketing,” said NC Acting President Ramchandra Paudel, addressing today’s House meeting at the beginning.

Paudel said people were being crushed in between due to the systematic support to black-marketing by the government and the smuggling of goods by agitators resorting to blockade on the Nepal-India border. The agitators are resorting to blockades, burning trucks carrying medicine and ambulances carrying ill people and the government was using force against them ignoring the concerns of the agitators, Paudel said.

“People’s kitchens are turning cold, hospitals are suffering due to medicine crunch, labourers are facing starvation due to closed industries and students are being deprived of education. The country is facing unprecedented crisis. However, the government has continued to remain inactive and has presented itself in an irresponsible way,” Paudel said. He said the government was reluctant to make diplomatic efforts to end the blockade on the Nepal-India border.

“As a responsible opposition, the NC is offering constructive support to the government to end the crisis and the party had called a meeting of major parties yesterday in this regard. However, the prime minister stayed away and today also he is not present here in the Parliament. Instead, the government is busy withdrawing the decisions of the previous NC-led government. All these show the state of reluctance and inefficiency on the part of the government,” Paudel said.

The governor has been cornered by employees’ union belonging to the ruling party and has withdrawn the appointments made by the previous NC-UML coalition government, Paudel said. “I question both the government and the agitating parties – where are we heading by trapping the people from all sides?” He requested both sides to be serious about finding a solution to the blockade that has harmed the dignity of the people.