CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has accused the government of trying to rob the local federal units of their constitutional powers.

Inaugurating the first assembly of the Suryabinayak Municipal Executive in Bhaktapur on Friday, Oli said his party would not accept the government’s plan to snatch back the authority of local bodies.

“The government is mooting laws to curtail the authority of local units, going against the concept of three-tier administration—federal, provincial and local/municipal—enshrined in the new constitution. It won’t be acceptable to the UML,” said Oli.

The former prime minister stressed that only powerful local bodies can contribute to overall development of the country.

At the programme, lawmaker Rameshwor Dhungel, former minister Mahesh Basnet and UML central member Sanu Shrestha remarked that the authority granted to the local units should not be curtailed.