Government spokesperson Shankar Pokharel said law and order situation has improved remarkably after the formation of Madhav Kumar Nepal-led government and that it will witness further improvement once the Special Security Plan is brought into full implementation.
Pokharel said the government has been successful to hold the election of the Constitutional Committee (CC) chairperson and restructure army integration panel to expedite the process of integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist combatants.
Addressing a press conference organized to brief the media about the progress made in 100 days, Pokharel argued that the performance of the government had proved wrong all the allegations even though the government was formed amidst mistrusts and speculations. Hinting at the Maoist allegations that the government was bent towards militarization and ´military supremacy,´ he said, “The government has instead established civilian supremacy at its core.”
Pokharel, who is also the Minister for Information and Communication, said the ties among 22 coalition partners have grown stronger as the government was being run on the basis of consensus. “There have been eleven all-party meetings at the call of prime minister in the last 100 days,” he said.
When asked why the government has failed to give full shape to the cabinet even after seventh expansion, Pokharel said the cabinet expansion should not be linked to the success or failure of the government. “There is always a possibility of restructuring and expansion of the cabinet,” he added.
Pokharel also brushed aside the speculations that Nepali Congress is trying to topple the government. “NC leaders are engaged on discussions as to how to make the government stable,” he said, referring to the meetings of NC leaders with the prime minister on Saturday.
He said the government has also been able to prove the speculation that the formation of the government sans Maoist would put the peace process in jeopardy wrong.
On a separate note, Pokharel claimed there was an improvement in the revenue collection and government expenditure in the last 100 days. While the revenue collection went up by 51.8 percent, the government expenditure witnessed 49.1 percent rise as compared with revenue collection and expenditure during the same period last year. He said the government is working towards giving local bodies their life to effectively implement the budget to create employment opportunities and uplift living standards of ordinary people.
Pokharel, however, admitted that the government had failed to perform up to the mark as it did not get conducive environment for work. Referring to the Maoist obstruction of parliament and their street protests, Pokharel said, “The government has been able to the face the challenges as it was formed in the process of fighting the challenges.”
He said the government has already started implementing the programs announced earlier and that they would complete in the due course of time.
Govt a total failure: Maoists
Meanwhile, the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), has said the government-led by Madhav Kumar Nepal is not worth staying in power even for 100 days.
“This is not a government that should enjoy a honeymoon. The government did not do anything significant worth making comments,” said Maoist deputy parliamentary party leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha. “It is a total failure.”
Shrestha said they have been making similar comments right from the day the current government was formed.
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