The opposition parties have intensified their demand for Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s resignation citing moral failures, bad governance and growing public frustration.

Addressing a joint press conference of seven opposition parties on Friday, CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal called for Prime Minister Oli to step down claiming that the latter has lost the moral authority to rule.

“This government has lost its moral ground to lead the country,” he said after a joint meeting of the opposition parties. “The prime minister would thus do well to resign.”

The opposition parties came together in protest against the government’s delays in calling the parliament session, its reliance on ordinances, failure to revive the economy, sluggish delivery, and mounting public frustration over bad governance.

In July last year, ahead of forming a coalition government, the ruling parties Nepali Congress and CPN-UML had decided to amend the constitution. But a statement by Prime Minister Oli has raised doubts about whether the pledge would be honoured. Prime Minister Oli recently deferred the deadline for constitution amendment to 2087 BS or 2030.

“If the prime minister himself says that the constitution amendment is not possible before 2087 BS, and the government is moving in the wrong direction, it has lost the morality to lead. So the prime minister should resign on moral grounds,” said Dahal.

Besides Dahal, other opposition party leaders like DP Aryal, acting president of the Rastriya Swatantra Party; Rajendra Lingden, chairman of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party; Madhav Kumar Nepal, chairman of the CPN (Unified Socialist); Durga Poudel, vice chairman of the Rastriya Janamorcha; Tilak Thapamagar, co-chair of the Am Janata Party; and Mahindra Raya Yadav, chairman of the Nepal Samajbadi Party, were present in the opposition meeting and press conference.

“It is better for the prime minister to resign, but everyone should understand that we are not angling to join the government,” said Dahal. “We are genuinely concerned about the country’s situation. If the government does not summon the House session, we will take to the streets.”

At the conference, Dahal also slammed the Congress-UML coalition government as ‘unnatural’. “Public frustration and dissatisfaction are increasing due to the government’s actions. Its legitimacy is crumbling,” he said. “The way the government was formed was unnatural. It was formed in a non-transparent manner. It was formed against the spirit of the constitution.”

In a press statement issued after the meeting, the opposition parties have accused the government of failing to tackle inflation and corruption, mishandling international relations, bypassing parliament, and trying to rule through ordinances.

Earlier this week, the government amended several laws and issued five ordinances at one go, purportedly to cut the red tape and facilitate trade and investment.

The opposition parties’ statement also pointed to the worsening economic situation of the country and blamed the government for failing to fix it.

They have accused the government of protecting corrupt individuals and closing high-profile corruption cases like the Giri Bandhu tea estate scam, the fake Bhutanese refugee case, the Bal Mandir land scam, and the Nepal Scout land lease scam, among others.

“People are extremely frustrated and upset due to the government’s totalitarian actions, which are against the interest of the nation and the people. The government has totally blocked the campaign against corruption. The government is protecting the corrupt people, promoting corruption. And leaders of the ruling parties are being exempted from corruption cases,” said Dahal.

The opposition parties have also demanded that the government summon the parliament session immediately. “If the government does not summon the House session, we will begin the process to call a special session,” said Dahal.

At the same conference, Dahal accused the government of issuing a land-related ordinance to benefit land mafias.

“To protect the land mafias and corrupt people, the government has issued the ordinance,” said Dahal, adding, “It shows the government’s true intent.”