PM to brief parliament on contemporary issues; NC President calls for endorsing MCC

Kathmandu / Jan 28: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has congratulated newly appointed speaker of House of Representatives Agni Prasad Sapkota and wished for his successful tenure.

Addressing the first meeting of the HoR held under the chairmanship of speaker Sapkota, PM Oli expressed his confidence that Sapkota will be successful in steering the house in a decent manner. “I’d like to assure you all that the government will be supportive in executing the house proceedings,” PM Oli added.

Electing Sapkota unanimously is a positive sign and it also spreads the message that decisions in the following days should be made through dialogue and reconciliation, according to him.

Speaking further, he stressed the need for unity among the political parties as there is always a chance of regressive steps in the absence of solidarity among the democratic forces. “Since the government is quite committed to maintaining law and order in the country, I urge one and all not to indulge in unnecessary discourse with an ill intention and prejudice,” he assured.

On the occasion, he also shared that he is coming up with the statement of the Government of Nepal revolving around on the need of present times and contemporary issues in a few days.

On a different note, he said that the government is cautiously introducing new strategies to make the recently launched tourism campaign Visit Nepal 2020 successful although it has hit hard due to some natural causes in recent days.

MCC should be approved soon, says NC Prez Deuba

Meanwhile, President of the main opposition party Nepali Congress Sher Bahadur Deuba has urged the newly appointed speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) Agni Prasad Sapkota to win the confidence of the opposition parties in coming days.

Speaking at the meeting of the HoR under the chairmanship of Sapkota on Tuesday, Deuba also congratulated the latter and wished for his successful tenure. He also assured Sapkota of every support from his party in the following days.

“Incorporating the concerns of the opposition is mandatory for the success of the house, therefore I draw the attention of the speaker on this,” said he adding that the speaker will be supported wholeheartedly by his party since the post is considered to be a non-partisan. “I’m sure that he’ll prove this through his actions.”

On the occasion, he also drew the attention of the speaker that the parliament should not endorse any bill which goes against the spirit of the constitution. Hauling the commitment to democratic norms and values expressed by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in the meeting earlier today, Deuba urged the PM to withhold the bills which contradict the general spirit of democracy.

On a different note, he took time to draw the attention of the government to make necessary initiations to minimize the risk of outbreak of novel coronavirus in the country. “I strongly urge the government to set up a 24-hour help desk to check the threat of this pandemic.”

Deuba who is also the former Prime Minister called for approving the Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact as the USA is coming up with huge grant assistance to Nepal. “USA has already clarified about it. China also stated that there is no problem in implementing it. I don’t see any reason for making a hue and cry on it,” he added.