Nepal PM Oli quits before vote of trust

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s prime minister KP Sharma Oli resigned from his post on Sunday evening minutes before voting on a noconfidence motion against him in parliament.

Oli’s move came after crucial financial bills were defeated in parliament two days back and several coalition partners withdrew from the government, stating it had been reduced to a minority. “Before coming to parliament, I had met the president and submitted my resignation to her. After the budget-related bills got defeated, I realized that I had lost trust of a majority of the members of this House,” said Oli, a known India-baiter.

Oli’s nine-month-old government’s fall came after the Maoists, his coalition partners, withdrew support and registered a no-confidence motion with the help of the opposition Nepali Congress, the biggest party in parliament.

Chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Centre Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda is likely to assume Oli’s post in the next few days.

Oli has been accused of failing to do enough to address the demands of Madhesis and other minority communities seeking changes in the constitution and also to start rehabilitation of those affected by last year’s quake. The 64-year-old, who accused India of imposing an unofficial blockade on Nepal before coming to power, was also seen getting closer to Beijing in an attempt to snub New Delhi.

“When I came to power India-Nepal ties were at a historic low. I have been able to nearly end the bitterness in relations during my India visit and efforts at various levels,” Oli said.

He added that his government had inked trade and transit treaties with China in order to reduce sole dependence on India and also to speed up economic development.

“The relations between Nepal and China and Nepal and India have their own peculiarities and it is not proper to compare the two,” Oli said.