Kathmandu, September 11
The CPN-UML is preparing to formally discuss the possibility of restoring the dissolved House of Representatives, with party Secretary Mahesh Basnet saying growing public pressure and a case pending at the Supreme Court are creating an environment for Parliament to return.
Basnet said the issue would be placed on the agenda of the party’s upcoming Central Committee meeting following growing dissatisfaction with the current government and what he described as public demand to reverse the political course taken through the election.
Speaking to reporters on Friday after a meeting of the UML’s election review and party reorganisation task force, Basnet said the party sees a possibility of Parliament being restored through a combination of public pressure and the Supreme Court proceedings.
“An environment is developing for the restoration of Parliament through the strength of the people’s movement and the case under consideration at the Supreme Court,” Basnet said.
He argued that such a development could also provide an opportunity to correct what he called wrong practices adopted during the election.
Basnet claimed that public frustration with the government had intensified even though it has not yet completed six months in office.
“People have reached a state of mind where they want to take back their mandate,” he said, referring to what he described as growing dissatisfaction with the government’s actions.
He also alleged that international forces had used social media and algorithms to create confusion among younger generations and influence the formation of the current government.
According to Basnet, people have begun questioning the choice they made in the election after observing the activities of both the interim government led by former Chief Justice Sushila Karki and the current government.
UML to discuss the issue formally
Basnet’s remarks indicate that Parliament restoration could become a significant political issue for the UML as the party reviews its electoral defeat and reassesses its strategy amid changing political circumstances.
He said the party’s election review and reorganisation task force was not formed to remove UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli, dismissing reports to that effect as “misinformation.”
The task force, he said, has been assigned to conduct a rigorous review of the election, determine how the party should move forward under changing political circumstances and prepare a framework for necessary organisational restructuring.
Basnet said the UML would also seek to address its internal weaknesses, counter misconceptions among the public and maintain regular interaction with citizens.
He added that the party would seek to strengthen itself by focusing on social justice and social service.
