Far-Western provincial assembly deadlocked as ruling and opposition parties maintain firm stances

Dhangadhi: The Far-Western Provincial Assembly, the platform meant for drafting necessary laws and discussing the people's issues, has been paralyzed by a prolonged deadlock.

For the past month, the Assembly has been obstructed due to unresolved disputes between the ruling and opposition parties. Opposition parties, including the CPN (Maoist Center), CPN (Unified Socialist), Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), and independent members, have been demanding that the provincial government cut unnecessary expenses, ensure good governance, and address concerns raised in the House.

Despite repeated efforts by Chief Minister Kamal Bahadur Shah, including convening all-party meetings, no resolution has been achieved. A meeting of the Work Arrangement and Consultative Committee was also held at the government's request, but the obstruction remains.

Both the ruling and opposition parties agree that the Provincial Assembly should not remain hostage to indecision, yet no consensus has been reached. Bikram Singh Dhami, chief whip of the ruling Nepali Congress, emphasized the urgent need to pass pending legislation, including a crucial bill related to the formation, operation, and conditions of service for the Far-Western Province Local Level Service. He stressed that the Assembly must not remain paralyzed for much longer.

The ruling party’s internal confusion has been cited as a major barrier to resolving the impasse. Man Bahadur Dhami, leader of the parliamentary party of the CPN (Maoist Centre), accused the ruling coalition of lacking clarity and failing to address opposition demands. Although Chief Minister Shah has shown a positive stance on expenditure cuts, Dhami claimed that disagreement from the coalition partner, the CPN (UML), has stalled any potential agreement.

Meanwhile, the ongoing rainy session of the Provincial Assembly, which began last Shrawan, continues without conclusion, delaying the start of the winter session. Dev Bahadur Bogati, Secretary of the Provincial Assembly Secretariat, stressed that reaching an agreement between the ruling and opposition parties is the only way to end the current deadlock.