During the meeting, the opposition leaders told the head of state that they are for a budget as specified in Article 96 A (2) of the interim constitution, NC leader Ram Sharan Mahat said emerging from the meeting. [break]
The constitutional provision allows the government to introduce a budget not exceeding one-third of the total expenditure of the current fiscal year, whereas the ruling parties have argued that the government should be allowed to bring a partial budget.
In response, the president said he would take steps in that regard complying with constitutional norms, the NC leader said.
Chairman Jhalanath Khanal and Bamdev Gautam from UML, President Sushil Koirala and leaders Ram Sharan Mahat, Krishna Prasad Sitaula and Dr Minendra Rijal from NC and Dr Prakash Chandra Lohani from Rastriya Janashakti Party, were among those visiting the president.
A day earlier, the opposition parties had boycotted a meeting of all political parties representing the dissolved Constituent Assembly (CA), summoned by Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai to forge political consensus on budget saying that they do not want to participate in the meeting called by the care taker prime minister.
However, the oppositions participated in an all-party meet called by UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal in the evening and agreed on bringing a partial budget, though they continue to differ over the kind of the partial budget.
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