Nepali Congress (NC) has decided to join the government and also give Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal the vote of confidence.
NC General Secretary Bishwa Prakash Sharma told Setopati that a meeting of the party’s central working committee held in Shankar Hall of the Federal Parliament building in New Baneshwar, Kathmandu on Sunday decided to give the vote of confidence to PM Dahal.
Dahal is preparing to seek a vote of confidence in the House of Representatives (HoR) on Monday. Dahal is constitutionally required to take a floor test again as CPN-UML and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) have already withdrawn their support to his government and also quit the government.
“It has been decided to instruct the parliamentary party meeting to give the vote of confidence to the prime minister,” Sharma said. “It has also been decided to join the government.”
Sharma said that NC has decided to give the vote of confidence to the present government headed by Dahal for protection of the Constitution, stability, conclusion of the peace process, development, and prosperity.
The meeting has also decided to send ministers from all provinces to the government as per the principle of inclusion.
“It has been decided to send ministers keeping in mind qualification, contribution, provincial balance and inclusivity,” Sharma said.
NC is planning to hold discussions both within the party and in the 10-party coalition about which ministries to take and whom to send as ministers.
During the parliamentary party meeting held on Sunday too, NC President and parliamentary party leader Sher Bahadur Deuba has urged lawmakers to give the vote of confidence to the prime minister.
NC has 89 lawmakers in the HoR.
According to NC spokesperson Prakash Sharan Mahat, the meeting has also decided to congratulate Ram Sahay Prasad Yadav on being elected vice-president and the Nepal men’s national cricket team on securing a berth in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier.
Meanwhile, NC has started sitting in the ruling bench in the House from Sunday following the party’s decision to join the government. NC had been calling itself the main opposition and sitting in the opposition bench despite giving Dahal the vote of confidence on December 10, 2022.
