Damauli, May 26

Senior Nepali Congress leader  Ramchandra Paudel today suggested that elections to the local bodies be held only after the federal structure envisioned in the constitution is adopted.

Speaking at a programme in Byas Municipality today, the NC leader looked askance at the rationale behind holding elections with the present status quo in place. “Holding local polls at a time when the country is about to embrace a federal structure doesn’t make sense,” he argued.

Paudel also opined that a schedule ought to be devised for implementing the statute. “Earlier we had the challenge of drafting the constitution and now that we’ve drafted the statute, there is the new challenge of the implementing the charter,” he observed.

Paudel rued the flight of manpower from the country in the name of foreign employment.

“Though in the short term it is benefiting the country through remittance, in the long run, the country will have to pay the price of outflow of youths,” he said, urging the government to do the needful to create employment opportunities for youths in the country.