Kathmandu. CpN (Maoist Centre) Chairman and former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, who is also the leader of the main opposition party in the federal parliament, once again expressed his deep displeasure over the budget presented by the government.

He said that during the tenure of the government led by him, democratic methods were implemented with a new calendar to free the budget formulation process from ‘rituals’, which ensured the participation of the people’s representatives. “But now that method has been demolished and the budget-making process has been limited to a particular group setting,” Prachanda told parliament.

Claiming that the budget is not the dream of the people in the name of the budget, but the bargaining of interest groups, he said, “When the budget itself is non-participatory, when the policy decision is taken on the basis of vengeance, what should the people expect?”

He said that the government’s retaliation was seen on the program of connecting 100,000 returning migrant youth to entrepreneurship under the ‘Remittance Entrepreneurship Program’ proposed last year and a 220-km-long project of tourism importance like Sahid Marg.

He also accused the Dalit community of being subjected to untouchability in the budget and said, “The revolutionary thinking of establishing an empowered Dalit Development Authority has been murdered. Not only in the society, but in your budget, there is discrimination against Dalits. ’

He expressed serious dissatisfaction over the government’s lack of interest in programmes such as ‘management and branding of domestic liquor’, ‘cannabis cultivation for medicinal purposes’, which are considered important from the point of view of self-reliant economy.

Showing the government’s indifference towards youth employment and nation building, he said, “During my tenure, a budget of Rs 3 billion was allocated to mobilize 100,000 youth under the ‘Youth Mobilization Program in Nation Building’, but you froze that budget.” ’

Stating that the budget for the Startup Entrepreneurship Programme has been cut by almost a third, he indicated that the government was moving towards the interests of brokers rather than entrepreneurship and innovation.

Prachanda’s remarks have created a serious debate on the budget-making process, policy priorities and inclusiveness. Opposition to the budget, ignoring the participation of people’s representatives, class and regional inclusivity, and social justice, is now intensifying in parliament.