Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba’s latest statement comes as a relief to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who earlier seemed to be uncertain over the future of the Congress-UML coalition government.

In the midst of rumours that the Oli government would topple after Deuba returned from weeklong trip to Bangkok, remarks from Deuba and his spouse, Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba, offer a huge respite to the UML chairman.

Upon arrival in Kathmandu on Friday, the Deubas denied the possibility of a government change. The Congress, the largest party in the federal parliament, is a backer of the Oli government.

As per rumours, the UML-led government would be toppled once Deuba returned from Bangkok and a new political equation between the Congress and the CPN (Maoist Centre) would be installed. The Deubas denied the rumours.

While Congress chief Deuba was in Bangkok for a regular health check-up, Maoist leaders in particular had claimed that a new coalition was being worked out. But Foreign Minister Deuba on Friday dismissed such talk as “entertainment”.

Oli looked upbeat on Saturday during the UML parliamentary party meeting. He urged his lawmaker colleagues not to go after the rumours that the government is about to collapse.

Until yesterday, some were claiming that the government would collapse the moment Deuba landed at the airport, said Oli. He was elected prime minister after a seven-point agreement between the Congress and the UML in July last year.

At Saturday’s party meeting, Oli instructed the lawmakers to focus on their work, with an eye on the next general elections.

He also advised lawmakers to expose those who are betraying the country. “Those disloyal to the nation must be unmasked,” said the prime minister. “Any misinformation that is spread must be countered immediately.”

He instructed lawmakers to stand firmly in favour of nationalism and uncover the truth, urging them to sharply criticise any behaviour that weakens the nation.

Oli also directed lawmakers to play an effective role in the budget session that commenced on Friday.

After Deuba’s response in favour of giving continuity to the government, the opponents “are left holding their foreheads in despair”, Oli said at the meeting. “They have been completely deflated.”

He recalled the goals of the Congress-UML government as stability, development, good governance, and national prosperity. “We are preparing a balanced and feasible policy and budget for the upcoming fiscal year.”

Referring to the agreement with the US government on the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), Oli said that Nepal should now focus on its own development efforts instead of relying on donors.

Although there is a possibility that some projects could continue in Nepal, no country should rely too heavily on foreign aid, he suggested.

He indicated that although the grant project, implemented under an agreement between the US and Nepal governments, should ideally stand above domestic politics, it could be scrapped. Nepal should be prepared for that possibility, he added.

The US diplomatic mechanism in Nepal had informed the prime minister on the aid review.

“The world order is shaken. Many still have high hopes for the MCC. It’s said to continue in four countries, but it might not be implemented in our country. It might not go to any of them. We need to be prepared for that,” Oli said.

However, he also hinted that if a project operating under a bilateral agreement is unilaterally scrapped, despite having already created obligations, it would be a diplomatic injustice.

“If the MCC is scrapped, what can we do—other than endure it? But that’s not the right way. Agreements made between nations stand above domestic law. It was passed by the US Senate, and we passed it [too] at their request. We’ve already acquired land for it. We won’t be discouraged by that. We’ll face it,” Oli said.

In preparation for the budget session, Oli asked the party’s lawmakers to immediately counter any false statements in Parliament.