Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba has instructed his ministers to work closely with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, claiming that the coalition of the largest party with the CPN-UML was going smoothly.

Passing the instructions to the party’s ministers on Thursday, Deuba told them to work as per the spirit of the seven-point agreement signed between the Congress and the UML at the time of government formation in July last year. He asked them to work closely with other ministers in the government and particularly with the prime minister and UML ministers.

In order to take updates on the work and performance of the Congress ministers in the midst of rumours that the government could change any time, Deuba called Congress ministers at his residence and issued a seven-point instruction as well. Ten Cabinet ministers and two ministers of state represent the party in the Oli government.

“There is no crisis of confidence between us,” Deuba told his ministers, referring to the two coalition partners. “In the same spirit of the mid-July agreement with the UML to form the government, we should work together.”

The meeting reached a conclusion that the government formed by the two largest parties faced no hurdles, according to Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak. At a time when some Congress leaders within the Deuba camp and the rival faction led by Shekhar Koirala were voicing dissatisfaction with the government’s performance, Deuba held the meeting of his ministers with the party’s parliamentary committee. Congress leaders were of the view that the government was running smoothly as per the agreement between the two partners.

“We discussed how to improve the government’s performance,” Lekhak said. Some Congress ministers, however, had complained that Prime Minister Oli often intervenes in their work and in their ministries, denying them free rein.

Deuba, speaking at the start of the meeting, told his ministers to work with the spirit of the coalition and asked them to focus on delivery, according to Minister for Youths and Sports Teju Lal Chaudhary. Some ministers had complained that they could not perform well due to some obstacles. He, however, denied that there was no cooperation at all from the UML.

Party leaders including Deuba asked the ministers to work closely with the prime minister and discuss their problems with him too. “We have a task force between the Nepali Congress and the UML and the grievances of ministers will be discussed there,” said party general secretary Gagan Thapa.

At the meeting, Thapa explained the reasons behind the government introducing the five ordinances, which have been approved by the President.

The objective is to give momentum to the government and make its work more effective, Thapa reportedly said. These ordinances were issued in coordination with the UML.

“No one is opposing the ordinances,” Thapa claimed. “The government’s intention is good.”

Another Congress General Secretary Bishwa Prakash Sharma raised issues with the content of the ordinance related to non-resident Nepalis.

“If a non-resident Nepali has obtained the non-resident citizenship, then why are we issuing a free visa for ten years to them and their family members?” Sharma wondered, citing the ordinance’s provisions. He also pointed to the constitutional measure to provide non-resident citizenship to the Nepali people living outside SAARC countries.

In its seven-point instructions to the ministers, the party wants them to focus on the ministry’s work for five days and listen to public grievances for two days every week.

The party also urged its ministers to speed up work in coordination among the Congress ministers while taking major decisions. The meeting also drew their attention to the need to pass the bills pending in Parliament, speed up development works held back for long, take initiative to conclude the projects that are in the budget but have yet to secure financial resources. The leadership also asked the party’s representatives in government to heed the feedback, concerns and concerns of lawmakers and suggestions and complaints registered with the party headquarters by the party’s provincial, district and local committees.