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The House of Representatives (HoR) is meeting at 11 am today.

The Parliament Secretariat has proposed the schedule of discussion on principles and priorities (except tax) of the forthcoming budget.

Finance Minister Dr Swarnim Wagle had presented the principles and priorities of the upcoming budget in the HoR meeting on May 14. 

Finance Minister Wagle will be responding to the lawmakers once the discussion is over.

Similarly, the upper house of the federal Parliament, National Assembly, is scheduled at 1:15pm. 

CPN-UML has decided to renew, revive, or reactivate the membership of Bidya Devi Bhandari. This is not merely a renewal of membership, but also an attempt to salvage a shrinking party. The party hinted at this development on May 17 by inviting her to a party function.

Earlier, her membership had been scrapped after she challenged party chairman KP Sharma Oli. However, some spin doctors interpreted the move as an effort to preserve the sanctity of the office of the head of state. In defending Oli, they tried to portray the issue as a matter of principle. Now, her membership has been revived without any clear justification.

Possibly, Bhandari may have agreed to take over the party leadership from Oli. Oli, who had appeared determined to continue leading the party even after the March 5 elections, now faces unprecedented pressure to step down. His health condition is also preventing him from remaining active. Over the past few weeks, apart from some social media posts, he has not spoken publicly, signaling some sort of problem inside the party.

However, such a transition will not be easy, as Oli was elected through the party’s general convention. In this scenario, he may continue as leader while gradually giving more space to Bhandari.

After Oli was arrested by the police, former Maoist rebel Ram Bahadur Thapa has been serving as the acting leader of both the party and its parliamentary wing. There is unease within the party, as Thapa, also known as Badal, has taken a confrontational stance against key state institutions. His rhetoric resembles the language he used while representing the hardline faction of the Maoists between 2008 and 2013.

Traditionally, UML had maintained a good rapport with state institutions, including the Nepal Army and the bureaucracy. However, Thapa has damaged this relationship by making serious accusations against these institutions. Senior UML leaders have tried to control the damage.

For now, Bhandari is more likely to unify the party than fully revive it, as most senior leaders after Oli appear willing to accept her leadership. In addition, other communist parties struggling for political survival could potentially rally under her leadership. The old slogan of left unity could resurface in the coming weeks.

However, it remains uncertain whether she can truly revive the party, as the March elections signaled a broader generational shift in politics. Bhandari, who is already over 60, may face difficulties in attracting younger voters. Moreover, youth disenchantment with communist parties is at an all-time high.  But who can say that people will not once again vote for communist parties, as they did in 2017? 

Therefore, it would be premature to write off the history of UML and other communist parties, even though the party is currently facing a historic crisis. It is important to remember that UML still has strong organizational strength at the grassroots level. The UML could attempt to rebrand itself by moving away from its communist identity and instead projecting itself as a socialist party.

Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Party lawmakers have objected to Acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Sapana Pradhan Malla’s directive to register a petition at the Supreme Court contrary to legal precedence and practice. 

Speaking at the Parliament meeting, Samiksha Baskota and Yagyamani Neupane expressed the view that the order to register a writ petition against the decision of the Constitutional Council on the recommendation of the  next Chief Justice was inappropriate. 

Stating that although they were clear that the independent judiciary should carry out its works independently, they expressed disagreement with actions taken outside the administration of justice.

Then after the lawmakers from the CPN-UML raised objections to the statements made by the RSP lawmakers, arguing that they were contrary to the rules of procedure that prohibit discussion on judicial matters in Parliament.

Discussions have begun in today's meeting of the House of Representatives on the principles and priorities of the Appropriation Bill for the fiscal year 2083/84 BS (except for the tax proposal).

Earlier on May 14, Minister for Finance, Dr Swarnim Wagle, had presented the principles and priorities during the HoR's meeting. 

The discussion is being viewed as part of the pre-budget deliberations.

Parliamentarians representing their respective parties have put forth their views on the proposal as well as on contemporary issues in today's meeting.

Accordingly, Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP)'s lawmaker Chabilal Dumre stated that his party stands apart from those 'making hollow and fake promises' and its party's lawmakers would deliver through their actions rather than rhetoric. 

He stressed that the construction of the Siddhartha Highway connecting Gandaki and Lumbini Provinces should be given priority.

Likewise, Nepali Congress's Basana Thapa commented that the document outlining the principles and priorities was readable and well-prepared but, she criticized, it failed to kindle hope and ignite confidence among the youths regarding employment opportunities. 

Thapa also suggested that all three-tier governments should work together more effectively by avoiding duplication.

Also voicing the views, CPN-UML's Dr Pushparaj Kandel slammed the proposal, saying it failed to incorporate the Constitution’s three-pillar economic policy and socialist-oriented goals. 

He also accused that the proposal was apathetic about enabling a favorable business environment for the private sector.

Airing the views, Rastriya Prajatantra Party's Khusbu Oli pointed out that the state should prioritize boosting agricultural production.

Independent parliamentarian Mahabir Pun urged the government to provide subsidies for registering patent rights related to industries and businesses.

He also called on the government to consider allocating at least one percent of the total capital expenditure for research and innovation.

Likewise, Shram Sanskriti Party's Harkaraj Rai demanded a provision that allows businesspeople to pay taxes through local governments to reduce travel burden.

Stating that his party protested by displaying placards in the parliamentary meeting, he decried that the government was not being responsible toward parliamentary meetings.

He also called for budget allocation for embankment in the Saptakoshi-Dharan areas, drinking water and construction of landfill sites in the upcoming budget.