NCP gives one-week ultimatum to Far West government, warns of protest against chief minister

Dhangadhi: The Nepali Communist Party (NCP) has called on the Sudurpaschim provincial government to respond to a 12-point memorandum, urging it to act with seriousness and accountability. The NCP’s provincial parliamentary party—comprising the Maoist Center, Unified Socialist Party, Civil Liberties Union and other parties—held a press conference on Wednesday, raising various allegations and demanding a formal response from the government.

Questioning the effectiveness of Chief Minister Kamal Bahadur Shah and his administration, parliamentary party leader Khagaraj Bhatta stated that the coalition government of the Nepali Congress and UML has failed to deliver. He said the demands must be addressed and gave the provincial government a one-week deadline. The NCP has warned that it will launch strong protests both on the streets and in parliament, and will demand the Chief Minister’s resignation if the concerns are not resolved.

Leader Bhatta accused the government of being mired in corruption, negligence, division and disorder. He alleged that the administration is marked by instability, inaction and lack of direction, adding that the public has not felt the presence of the government.

“The government has completely failed in development, good governance and public accountability. Such leadership is pushing the province further backward,” Bhatta said.

The NCP has further accused the government of allowing corruption and a commission-based system to flourish openly in the province. It alleged that there is a growing tendency to benefit those close to the leadership in matters ranging from project allocation to appointments. The party also claimed there has been a complete failure in administrative reform and lawmaking.

Among the issues raised are the failure to implement the provincial capital, the inability to enact necessary laws, weak budget execution, instability within ministries, delays in hospital appointments, failure to conduct the Organization and Management (ONM) survey, division-based functioning of the Policy Commission, opaque spending in the name of investment summits, delays in implementing Supreme Court orders, arbitrary spending through temporary offices, issuance of formation orders without an enabling act, and an overall lack of good governance.

Bhatta also criticized the government as being “publicity-oriented,” alleging that the Baitadi bus accident has not been effectively investigated and that the administration has failed in disaster management.

The NCP has warned that the Chief Minister and ministers should resign on moral grounds if they fail to provide a written and satisfactory response within a week.

The 12 points on which the NCP has sought the government’s clarification are:

1. Complete failure in implementing the provincial capital

2. Failure to formulate necessary laws

3. Serious failure in budget implementation

4. Widespread disorder from the Chief Minister’s Office to the ministries

5. Delay in hospital appointments, with the government focused on division

6. Failure to conduct the Organization and Management Survey (ONM)

7. Extreme disorder in the Policy Commission and misuse of state funds based on division

8. Opaque and arbitrary spending in the name of an unplanned investment summit

9. Delay in implementing Supreme Court orders

10. Arbitrary spending through temporary offices, benefiting those close to the leadership

11. Priority given to formation orders without enacting a law

12. Overall lack of good governance, transparency and accountability