Kathmandu: Discussions on the policy and programmes of His Majesty’s Government as enunciated in the Royal Address to a joint sitting of the Houses of Parliament continued at the National Assembly meeting today also.

At the outset, Ram Jivan Singh of the Nepali Congress said that all the political parties including the ruling and opposition parties should function with responsibility in order to consolidate the democratic system and enhance the attraction it has for the people.

He said that a national consensus was necessary to resolve problems concerning livelihood and also those concerning poverty alleviation, the rule of law and social justice.

Goma Devkota of the CPN-UML said that only old content had been repeated in the policy and programmes and there was no specific programme on women’s empowerment, indigenous people, agricultural grants and sick industries.

Gajendra Narayan Singh of the Nepal Sadbhavna Party (NSP) said that the big and small parties have an equal role to play in promoting Parliament as a focus of the people’s faith and for resolving the burning issues of the country.

Referring to inability to resolve the citizenship issue without a constitutional amendment, he said that all the political parties should be willing to see such an amendment.

CPN-UML MP Lal Vahadur Vishwakarma said that the Royal Address did not include important matters such as the oppressed nationalities, land reforms and agriculture and that it would not provide any relief to the people.

MP Laxmi Das Manandhar of the same party sought abrogation of the Public Security Regulations in order to ensure law and order in the country and said that the policy and programmes introduced by the government would not be able to provide any new direction and dimension to the country.

Mahesh Mani Dixit of the same party said that the policy and programmes brought in without reviewing the achievements of the past had not been able to cover any of the new aspects and alleged that the economic policy pursued by the party that has been in power for most of the time during the last l0 years had only hurt the economy.

Tilak Prasad Neupane of the Nepali Congress referred to sectors such as education, health, water supply, water resources and foreign affairs that had been covered in the policy and programmes of the government and said that the opposition should not call it only a piece of paper.

Maiya Devi Shrestha, also of the Nepali Congress, said that the policy and programmes would be helpful in making the country prosperous and called upon the opposition to pass it without opposition.

MP Lok Bahadur Thapa of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party said that the policy and programmes are unclear and could be interpreted in any way, and nothing had been mentioned about agriculture reforms.

Bishweshwar Dahal of the CPN-UML said that the Royal Palace incident had proved that the inactivity on the part of the government would not ensure law and order or peace and tranquillity or lead to the implement any programme providing succour to the people.

She claimed that there was nothing specific on women’s right to parental property, untouchability, upliftment of the downtrodden classes, security of Nepalese workers abroad and deployment of the police.

Bachaspati Devkota of the CPN-UML alleged that government had not brought forward any dependable policy on education, water resources, industry and other topics of national significance and the helplessness and inactivity of the government were exposed by the Royal Palace incident.

Ambika Chapagai of the Nepali Congress said that the country should be able to give up party politics for the sake of the country, the people and democracy and one and all should unite to resolve the common issues.