The president has endorsed the govt decision and the court has no business interfering

• Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli

Kathmandu March 3

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has publicly opposed the Supreme Court’s stay order against the government’s decision to nominate three members to the National Assembly, the Upper House of the Parliament.

Addressing a joint meeting of CPN-UML and CPN-MC lawmakers in Baneshwor today, the PM said that the SC had crossed its boundary by staying the swearing-in of three NA nominees.

Oli’s government had rescinded the Sher Bahadur Deuba government’s decision nominating Gopal Basnet, Chandani Joshi and Krishna Prasad Paudel and nominated three members to the Upper House — Ram Narayan Bidari, Yubaraj Khatiwada and Bimala Rai Paudyal.

“The president has endorsed the government decision to nominate three members to the National Assembly and the court has no business interfering with this,” he told the meeting. The next hearing on Oli government’s three NA nominees is scheduled for tomorrow.

Oli said unification of the two parties had reached the final phase and the new party should work to unify and empower the people. He also said that the government needed to have strong morale to uplift the country from the state of under-development.

CPN-Maoist Centre Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said  the joint meeting was a prelude to the party unification. “There will be only one parliamentary party soon,” he said. “We will now strive to achieve the goals of scientific socialism by developing national capital.” A total of  214 lawmakers were present. However, lawmakers, including Madhav Kumar Nepal, Jhalanath Khanal from UML and six lawmakers including Giriraj Mani Pokhrel from CPN-MC were absent. UML lawmaker Nawa Raj Silwal attended the meeting.