Kathmandu, December 15

Top Nepali Congress leaders today slammed the KP Sharma Oli-led government ‘for failing to deliver services to the public.

Addressing the inaugural session of the Maha Samiti here today, NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba and top party leaders accused the government of trying to sabotage federalism.

Vice-presidents Bimalendra Nidhi and Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar and general secretaries  Shashank Koirala and Purna Bahadur Khadka said the government had failed to live up to people’s expectation.

Deuba said the government failed to arrest those responsible for the rape and murder of 13-year old  Nirmala Panta. “How can a government which fails to arrest the culprit(s) in Nirmala’s case provide security to the public?” Deuba wondered. Government functionaries  tear posters seeking justice for Nirmala. This is enough to conclude that the  government is trying to protect culprit(s), Deuba argued. He told his party’s leaders they were free to criticise him, but they should also criticise Oli for failing to deliver services. “You should criticise Oli at least as much as his own party leader Madhav Kumar Nepal criticises his poor performance and misrule,” Deuba told party leaders.

Senior leader Ramchandra Paudel said the government was not delivering service to the public, but it was blaming others. He also said the  government was trying to create a new class of elites by giving incentives to political leaders. He said the NC should free the country from communist  authoritarianism.

Vice-president Bimalendra Nidhi said the government was promoting corrupt practices in the country. He said people were  fed up with its style of functioning and performance.

Gachhadar said PM Oli was not trying to implement the constitution; rather, he was attempting to foil it. He also said the communist government was trying to weaken parliamentary democracy.

Shashank Koirala said the government had tried to play with religious sentiments of people by organising the Asia Pacific Summit that gave platform to a Christian NGO. “Organising the summit  was against our culture and faith. People came to me opposing the summit,” he said.

The top leaders also sought internal unity and end to factionalism in the party. “We should remain united. I urge the president and senior leaders to end factionalism and promote unity in the party,” he said.

Senior leader Paudel also said he was in favour of ending factionalism in the party. Gachhadar asked both leaders (Deuba and Paudel) to raise their hands to give the message of unity  in the party. Deuba said he wanted  to run the party unitedly.

Over 1,600 Maha Samiti members are taking part in the jamboree that will run for six days.

The Maha Samiti will finalise the party’s new statute. It will try to work out a unanimous decision on the draft statute amendment.