The main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) has demanded that the position of the chief executive officer for National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) be given to the party in return for its support for the NRA Bill in Parliament.

NC made such a demand during a three-party meeting held at Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s residence on Wednesday to review the current political situation and to clear legal hurdles for the formation of the NRA. The party has also declined to be part of the government talks team to negotiate with the agitating Madhes-based parties.

“The prime minister urged the Nepali Congress to extend support to endorse the long-pending National Reconstruction Bill,” said UML leader and Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Agni Kharel, who was also present in the meeting.

In the absence of a National Reconstruction Authority, post-earthquake reconstruction has been delayed, severely affecting thousands of people in the districts hit hardest by the April 25 earthquake. As a harsh winter approaches, thousands are forced to live in temporary shelters that have no proper roofs or walls to shield them from the cold.

The NRA was formed through an ordinance but the failure to approve Reconstruction Bill in Parliament has made it dysfunctional even before it was setup properly.

PM Oli has requested NC President Sushil Koirala to help find an agreement on the bill before he leaves for New York on Friday for a medical check-up.  

The NC-led government had appointed former vice-chairman of the National Planning Commission Govind Raj Pokhrel as CEO of the authority. The NC is miffed at the UML-led government for overlooking its suggestion on making amendments to the constitution tabled by the erstwhile Koirala government to address agitating Madhesi parties’ demands.

An amendment proposal was tabled at Parliament proposing to ensure inclusive representation of the marginalised community and delineate election constituencies based on population while ensuring at least one constituency for each district regardless of the population.