Nepal's opposition accuses Balendra Shah govt of neglecting citizen's welfare

KATHMANDU, Jul 5: Nepal's main opposition party on Sunday accused the Balendra Shah-led government of prioritising social media popularity over the welfare of ordinary citizens.

The Nepali Congress organised an interaction programme at the party's central office in Laltipur district, neighbouring Kathmandu, to review the government's performance in the first 100 days in power.

Slamming the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) government, Nepali Congress chief Gagan Kumar Thapa accused it of "creating fear" among landless squatter settlements.

Over 15,000 people living in more than 2,600 households were displaced as the government launched an eviction drive in Kathmandu Valley earlier this year.

The Nepal government in May decided to provide Rs 15,000 in rehabilitation support to each landless and squatter family displaced from riverbank settlements in Kathmandu.

"This government is more concerned about likes on social media than the lives of the people," the Nepal Congress chief said.

Multiple independent experts also expressed their concerns at the event.

"The government is ruling the country by spreading misinformation and disinformation, making social media their battleground," said Govinda Raj Pokharel, former vice chairman of the National Planning Commission.

The government has failed to boost the confidence of investors in the share market, which has led to a loss of Nepalese rupees 4.5 billion on the part of the small investors over the past three months, Pokharel claimed.

"Only 16 per cent of the commitments made by the Balendra Shah government were fulfilled during its first 100 days in power, and the progress made by the government was only seen on Facebook and other social media sites, not in reality," said Saurabh Raj Pant, a foreign relations expert.

Ramesh Adhikari, an expert on good governance, accused the RSP government of "abandoning institutional development and the rule of law in favour of personality-driven politics".

"Despite commanding a powerful two-thirds majority in Parliament, the administration is actively fostering a culture of individual worship rather than upholding solid political ideologies and principles," he said.

Rapper-turned-politician Shah, popularly known as 'Balen', was sworn in as Nepal's prime minister on March 27 after the RSP registered a landslide victory in the parliamentary elections. (PTI)