Nepali Congress (NC) has assured the private sector that it will
focus on economy in the party’s manifesto for the Constituent Assembly (CA)
election.
“The country cannot progress economically without the active participation
of private sector,” said Nepali Congress president Shushil Koirala at an
interaction organised by Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (FNCCI) here today.
It is during the Nepali Congress rule that the country had seen
encouraging economic growth, he said, adding that Nepali Congress always believes
on private sector – that is the engine of economic growth – and recognises its
role in economic development. “The private sector of the country has come a
long way also due to the policy of Nepali Congress and no one should doubt Nepali
Congress’s commitment on private sector development.
However, political instability and decade-long Maoist insurgency
have taken its toll on economy, Koirala said. “Some political parties with
wrong orientation destgroyed the economic environment in the country.”
Democracy and economic growth are inter-related and Nepali
Congress reassures its commitment on the need to create investment friendly environment
to boost private sector confidence, he said, assuring that Nepali Congress will
include the agendas of private sector in the party’s manifesto for the second
CA election scheduled for November19.
The FNCCI is inviting all the political parties to discuss their
partys’ view on common minimum economic agenda – to ensure country’s prosperity
– and seek their commitment on economic development. The interaction today with
Nepali Congress was the first in the series.
Senior leader of Nepali Congress Sher Bahadur Deuba, on the
occasion, also assured to include the private sector’s agenda in the party’s
manifesto. “Nepali Congress will never deviate from its commitment to private
sector,” he added.
Nepali Congress had started the economic reforms when it came to
power post 1990, though Nepal was slowly moving towards open market since a
couple of years ago. “The liberal economic policy of the Nepali Congress
government post the first democratic movement has brought positive impacts in
the country,” said the former finance minister and Nepali Congress leader Dr
Ram Saran Mahat, who became the finance minister repeatedly and supported
private sector development and opened the market.
“The country has achieved tremendous progress in social sector
including health, education, telecommunications and media due to liberal economic
policy started by the Nepali Congress,” he said, adding that the communists
have also started acknowledging the importance of private sector and liberal
economic policy recently.
Nepali Congress never organised any bandhs and strikes as it knows
such activities would disturb the investment-friendly environment, Mahat said.
The umbrella organisation of the private sector has been asking the political
parties to agree on common minimum economic agenda and include economic programmes
in their election manifesto to achieve double digit growth and create
employment in the country.
“The country needs to focus on energy and infrastructure
development, security, political stability right to personal property and massive
employment generation,” said FNCCI president Suraj Vaidya, on the occasion.
He also asked Nepali Congress
to include them in its election manifesto.
