Whether or not to give a vote of confidence to Sonal is a matter of choice for the parties. It is a matter of discretion for the MPs. Even if someone else becomes the Chief Minister tomorrow, there is still freedom of choice and discretion. But the issue is not limited to this. The parties and MPs should be mindful of the outcome when they make decisions.
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The possibility of instability has increased after Jitendra Prasad Sonar (Sonal), who became the Chief Minister of Madhesh Province the same week that Gen-G protested, demanding stability. Sonal had presented a motion to seek a vote of confidence in the provincial assembly meeting on Saturday, but announced his resignation in a floor address after it was unlikely to be granted.
With the resignation of Chief Minister Sonal, who was appointed as per Article 168 (2) of the Constitution, the process of selecting a new Chief Minister will be determined by the discretion of Provincial Chief Sumitra Subedi Bhandari. However, if there is no change in the votes of the parties represented in the Provincial Assembly, it will be difficult to get a vote of confidence, no matter who is appointed as the Chief Minister immediately.
Such a situation will ultimately lead to the dissolution of the province. Therefore, the parties represented in the Provincial Assembly need to be serious. They should not strive for instability, but for the full term of the assembly and government. Through that, priority should be given to fulfilling the expectations of the people.
Sonal was appointed Chief Minister on 29 Asoj. At that time, he was appointed Chief Minister with the support of 56 provincial assemblies of five political parties, including his party, the Janata Samajwadi Party Nepal, the Janmat Party, the CPN Maoist Center and the CPN Unified Socialist. However, when the day came for him to take the vote of confidence, he was unable to get the votes of the MPs of the parties that supported him.
Some MPs did not attend the meeting, while others said that they would not vote at all. For example, while addressing the provincial assembly on Saturday, Maoist Center provincial assembly member Rahawar Ansari announced that he would not vote for or against the bill. The dispute within the Maoists became public after Ansari's speech, who was not on the speaking list. The speaker was also criticized. It was certain that Sonal would not get a vote of confidence by the time the meeting was adjourned and reconvened. Amid the controversy, he resigned from the 'floor' by addressing the assembly.
Lalbabu Raut was the Chief Minister during the first provincial assembly formed in 2074. Only the Chief Ministers of Madhesh and Sudurpaschim served a full term in the first term. However, at that time, the government had changed repeatedly in all the remaining five provinces. Governments have been changing in almost all the provinces formed in 2079 BS since the beginning. As the federal government has been in turmoil, the provinces have also been affected. Instability has been created.
The tendency of governments from the union to the provinces to form and fall repeatedly has also made the people tired. Dissatisfaction has been expressed that the leaders' attention is focused on forming and toppling the government. Showing a similar trend, some have also started raising the voice that the governing system should be changed. In such a situation, parties should not take the initiative to take decisions that send a negative message to supporters of federalism and the parliamentary system. The mother of the voice of federalism is Madhesh Province. The success of federalism also lies in the working style of this province. Therefore, all concerned should be aware that the power struggles in Madhesh Province can weaken federalism.
'Kathmandu' has been dominating the power changes in the provincial assembly. Decisions about who will be made the chief minister of the province, who will be made ministers and state ministers, who will be made the speaker and whip are made in the rooms of Kathmandu. The parties have not been able to behave in accordance with the spirit of federalism. This time too, the coordinator of the Maoist Center (now the Nepali Communist Party) was interfering in the change of leaders of the provincial parliamentary party.
He had sent a letter to the provincial speaker informing him that it had been decided to reinstate Honorable Bharat Prasad Shah as the leader of the Madhesh Province Parliamentary Party. He had not only practiced against the spirit of federalism, he had also tried to hold hostage the conscience of his own provincial assembly members. Dissatisfaction with that was expressed in the provincial assembly itself on Saturday. Maoist Ansari and Mala Karna announced their decision not to vote for the Chief Minister. At this time, even in the context of the Maoist Center, the mindset and behavior of most parties is almost the same. Even the Gen-G movement does not seem to have been able to change this.
Whether or not to give a vote of confidence to Sonal is a matter of choice for the parties. It is a matter of discretion for the parliamentarians. Even if someone else becomes the Chief Minister tomorrow, there is freedom of choice and exercise of discretion. But the matter is not limited to this. The parties and parliamentarians should be careful about what results will come out when they make decisions.
Those who reject the status quo should present a blueprint to take the province towards a better alternative. They should be convinced of that. Otherwise, dissatisfaction will increase even more, and the belief that everything is bad will become stronger. With Sonal's resignation, there are also concerns that the Madhesh Provincial Assembly will be dissolved. Because, in the current state of mind, it is difficult to get a vote of confidence even if the Chief Minister becomes the chief minister. Although the continuation or dissolution of the Provincial Assembly is a process specified by the constitutional provisions. However, such situations are not natural at this time. If it were normal times, they could have been taken accordingly. Due to the time context, such a situation may increase disappointment among the citizens. All parties should consider this.
