Flying economic class idea populist: Mahat to PM
KATHMANDU, SEP 14 -
Nepali Congress leader Ram Sharan Mahat has urged Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai to give up the “populist idea” of traveling in "an economy class" to attend the 67th United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 18.
Addressing Wednesday's parliament session, he cautioned that "the publicity stunt" would jeopardise the prestige of Nepal in the international level and suggested him initiate reforms in other fractured sectors like security and industry to maintain austerity.
The government has prepared a package of austerity measures aimed at curbing expenditures that are extravagant and unnecessary.“The cheap publicity will not benefit the country. The prime minister can send the foreign minister instead of him,” said Mahat. He also lambasted Bhattarai's decision to ride a Nepal assembled Mustang car.
Mahat claimed that the leaders from the prime minister's party were riding "stolen cars" evading taxes. Instead of driving the Mustang car to maintain austerity, the prime minister should "keep his house in order" by bringing all the vehicles with temporary numbers under the law, he said.
Similarly, UML lawmaker Ramnath Dhakal blamed Maoist leaders for encouraging corruption by retaining vehicles with temporary number plates for more than five years. He claimed that a Maoist Standing Committee member, who is now a minister, misused the temporary number plate of a Bolero jeep by installing it in Sumo, Scorpio and Pajero cars that he drove in the later years.
Dhakal argued that the prime minister's austerity drive contradicts with his decision to split ministries. The move to split two ministries aims to keep Bhattarai in the government by satisfying the Madhes-based parties, he said.
Also addressing the House session, Nepali Congress General Secreatry Prakash Man Singh cautioned the government not to provide "political patronage to criminals by withdrawing cases pending in the courts".
Source: Kantipur
Nepali Congress leader Ram Sharan Mahat has urged Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai to give up the “populist idea” of traveling in "an economy class" to attend the 67th United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 18.
Addressing Wednesday's parliament session, he cautioned that "the publicity stunt" would jeopardise the prestige of Nepal in the international level and suggested him initiate reforms in other fractured sectors like security and industry to maintain austerity.
The government has prepared a package of austerity measures aimed at curbing expenditures that are extravagant and unnecessary.“The cheap publicity will not benefit the country. The prime minister can send the foreign minister instead of him,” said Mahat. He also lambasted Bhattarai's decision to ride a Nepal assembled Mustang car.
Mahat claimed that the leaders from the prime minister's party were riding "stolen cars" evading taxes. Instead of driving the Mustang car to maintain austerity, the prime minister should "keep his house in order" by bringing all the vehicles with temporary numbers under the law, he said.
Similarly, UML lawmaker Ramnath Dhakal blamed Maoist leaders for encouraging corruption by retaining vehicles with temporary number plates for more than five years. He claimed that a Maoist Standing Committee member, who is now a minister, misused the temporary number plate of a Bolero jeep by installing it in Sumo, Scorpio and Pajero cars that he drove in the later years.
Dhakal argued that the prime minister's austerity drive contradicts with his decision to split ministries. The move to split two ministries aims to keep Bhattarai in the government by satisfying the Madhes-based parties, he said.
Also addressing the House session, Nepali Congress General Secreatry Prakash Man Singh cautioned the government not to provide "political patronage to criminals by withdrawing cases pending in the courts".
Source: Kantipur
