Lawmakers spoke on the amounts earmarked for 16 different ministries on Monday alone due to the time constraint for budget endorsement. The UCPN (Maoist) has said it will not disrupt House business for three days so that the budget can pass.
Parliament, which saw continuous disruptions by Maoist lawmakers demanding the “restoration of civilian supremacy”, is all set to endorse the annual budget by Wednesday. As per the schedule, the House will pass the appropriations bill on Monday.
Speaking during special time, Maoist deputy leader in parliament Narayankaji Shrestha claimed that the Maoists decided to suspend their protests in parliament as a responsible main opposition party. “Holding up the budget was never on our agenda,” he said, “However budget endorsement was adversely affected due to our demand concerning civilian supremacy.” He further said that the ruling coalition should not think that they could relax following the budget endorsement. “If they think so, they will be trapped in a pit of their own making,” he said. He also warned against any “conspiracy to dissolve the Constituent Assembly and impose president´s rule”.
After Shrestha spoke, the Maoist lawmakers quit the meeting, leaving only three of them inside.
Also speaking at the meeting, Nepali Congress lawmaker Ram Sharan Mahat drew the attention of the government to development plans that were on the list till last year but do not feature in the budget. He also came down heavily on the Maoists for obstructing parliamentary proceedings for so long. He deplored the fact that the amount allocated for the peace process and the integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants was not on the list for discussion.
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