The opposition parties have lashed out at the government’s policies and programmes presented by President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Monday, claiming that the document completely lacks focus and priority.

Taking part in a discussion over the policies and programmes on Wednesday, leaders of the Nepali Congress and Madhesi parties claimed the document sounds more like an election manifesto than the government’s economic document.

Putting his views on the first day of discussion, NC President and former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba claimed the document shows the government lacked vision.The government failed to give the basis to double the per capita income and agricultural production in the next five years, Deuba pointed out. The government has to increase investment by 50 percent every year to attain the goal, he said “it was not realistic”. Deuba, who has led the government for four times in the past, urged the incumbent government to set a focused target that is attainable.

“The present government has a huge opportunity to work for prosperity. Don’t take this as granted, rather work in a focused way,” he suggested the incumbent KP Sharma Oli government. Claiming that it was the erstwhile NC-led government’s relentless effort that boosted the economic size of the country since 1991, Deuba asked the present government not to forget the contribution made by his party.

The discussion on the policies and programmes that sets the foundation for the budget for the upcoming fiscal year will continue for the next two days before it is put to the vote for approval. Also commenting on the document, NC leader Minendra Rijal said the Oli government has “neither policies nor programmes on it”.

Arguing that it would require an annual growth above 12 percent to double the per capita in five years, he demanded the government clarify its basis for attaining that goal. “The priority-less government will take us nowhere,” Rijal said.

The leaders from the Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum-Nepal and Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal also expressed their dissatisfaction over the document, saying that it did not mention about a provision of constitution amendment.

They also said the government’s projection of a huge economic growth rate in its policies and programmes contradicts its white paper which says the state treasury is empty. “There is no match between government’s target and its white paper. It is only selling false dream to the people,” SSF-N leader Pradeep Yadav told the House.