Aagya Khabar
Janakpurdham

The Madhesh Province government has passed the budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2082/83 with support solely from members of the ruling coalition, amid a boycott by major opposition parties. The opposition walked out of both the budget discussion and voting process, citing concerns over procedural flaws and lack of transparency.

During Sunday’s provincial assembly meeting, Speaker Ramchandra Mandal announced that the Appropriation Bill had been passed by a majority. However, key opposition parties, including the CPN-UML, were absent from the session.

Opposition lawmakers expressed serious objections, claiming that there was a discrepancy of 294 pages between the version of the “Red Book” (the main budget document) provided to lawmakers and the one given to the task force. Citing this inconsistency and lack of clarity, they boycotted both the task force meetings and the full assembly session.

Opposition parties have also accused the government of being involved in financial irregularities. “Passing the budget in such an opaque manner is a betrayal of the people,” said one opposition leader.

The ruling party, on the other hand, stated that the budget had to be passed on time and asserted that all necessary procedures were followed. “While the opposition’s questions are understandable, boycotting the session is not the behavior of a responsible opposition,” said one ruling party lawmaker.

Although the budget has been formally passed, the controversy and dissatisfaction surrounding its formulation suggest that its implementation may face significant challenges.