Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba has expressed his doubts about the current government’s intention to hold local and provincial elections.

“It’s true that the local body and provincial elections are indispensable. But the current government doesn’t seem to have a real intention to hold the elections,” said leader Deuba, speaking at a gathering of party cadres at NC office in Chipledhunga of Kaski district on Sunday.

He remarked that the federal structure wouldn’t be sustainable without holding elections. “The government should either reduce the term of state restructuring commission or hold the elections. But the government is deceiving the people doing neither of them,” said Deuba. 

Ruling out the possibility of national assembly elections without holding the local body elections, the NC president went on to say that the current government is only talking about election without making any internal preparation. “Lack of preparations for local elections raise doubts that the government doesn’t seem serious about implementing the new constitution,” he claimed. 

It wouldn’t be possible to implement the constitution just by declaring the federal structure based on the spirit of constitution, said Deuba. He added that local body election was indispensable to transform the country into provincial structure. 

He claimed the NC as a largest and oldest party is serious to implement the constitution. 

“The Nepal Congress has a huge responsibility to act for the establishment of democratic republic,” said Deuba, “And the NC won’t remain a mute-spectator about it.”

Deuba said that the CPN-UML-led government announced the budget for the upcoming fiscal year in an arbitrary manner.  “Had the NC not saved the state coffers, how could this government announce the budget so as to distribute it among its cadres?” said the NC president. 

He further said that, no matter who is in the power, but the government should make public its programmes and policies considering the long term economy of the nation.