Govt is working on war footing, criticism is a democratic exercise: Rabi Lamichhane

KATHMANDU: Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane has said that various government agencies are carrying out search and rescue, relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction works in the aftermath of the Bhotekoshi floods.

Speaking after the all-party meeting held at the RSP parliamentary party office in Singha Durbar on Wednesday, Lamichhane said that the Prime Minister has been in direct touch with the people’s representatives of the affected areas.

He said, “The Prime Minister is constantly in meetings. Yesterday, he took time out to meet friends at the local level, even the politicians of the local level. If he is meeting the people’s representatives of the places who are directly connected with the people of the affected areas, this is a great example of his sensitivity. ’

He said that the government and political parties are moving ahead according to the allocation of work as their responsibilities are different.

“Political, we do it by allocating work. If you compare yesterday’s practice with today’s practice, it will look different. But yesterday, there was a tradition of the party’s leadership, party president and presidents becoming the prime minister. Now, there is a clear blueprint and clear path for the party to look after the responsibility of the party, the responsibility of the government by the government, the prime minister, but there is no need for duplication,” he said.

Lamichhane also said that there is no situation that the government does not take ownership of the works of the parliamentary committee.

He said, “What the parliamentary committee will do, what will be formed as an all-party committee, is not to take ownership of it. Now is not the time to expect that to happen. We are sitting with a commitment that we will do it.” ’

According to him, the meeting also discussed the need for the government to clarify the nature of the Bhotekoshi floods through experts.

“The government will soon have to tell the experts what happened. Because it is a bit of a complex issue, it is a matter that requires a little bit of research and a little bit of expertise, we have decided today to name it as one and tell the government what it is, the government will say soon,” he said.

He said various ministries, departments and government mechanisms were working as per their responsibilities following the floods.

Lamichhane said that the government had given priority to search and rescue in the beginning and now relief and rehabilitation works are moving forward.

He said that the ministries, departments and authorities concerned are active from the planning to the field as the rehabilitation and reconstruction works are a long phase.

He said, “Now there is a long phase of rehabilitation, reconstruction. In that too, the concerned ministries, departments, authorities are all actively making plans, some are in the field. That is why every day, everywhere, those who are meeting, those who make decisions, those who need to reach are reaching. The policy work and the work done in the field are all going on continuously, it may not be different from this war footing. ’

He described the criticism of the government’s performance within the RSP as an internal democratic practice of the party.

He said, “Sometimes, because the internal democracy within our party is a little stronger, sometimes someone takes advantage of it a little more, while taking more or less advantage of it, expressing a little bit about it, criticizing his own government a little, being a democratic party, some of those friends have their own style, some people’s style.” ’

Stating that the party leaders and lawmakers have different ways of expressing their views, he said there was no other problem in the party.