Kathmandu: A day before the trust vote was presented in Parliament, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ approved an agreement to connect the Himalayan nation with China by rail under Beijing’s ambitious ‘Belt and Road Initiative’. Quoting government sources, the ‘MyRepublica’ news portal said that the decision has more operational importance than political importance and is in line with Nepal’s participation in China’s billion-dollar infrastructure project.

‘Still to be finalized’
The news quoted Communications Minister and government spokesperson Rekha Sharma as saying, “In the cabinet meeting held on Thursday, it was decided to approve the agreement to strengthen development cooperation between Nepal and China in the construction of ‘Trans-Himalayan Multidimensional Connectivity Network’.” However, a minister downplayed its immediate impact, saying, “This is a preliminary decision; the details of project implementation and the modalities of the BRI are yet to be finalised.”

Prachanda could not win the trust vote

Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ could not win the trust vote in Parliament on Friday. Last week, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) withdrew its support from his government. After this development, the way has been paved for the formation of a new government under the leadership of former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. In the country’s 275-member House of Representatives, 69-year-old Prachanda got 63 votes, while 194 votes were cast against the trust vote motion. At least 138 votes were needed to win the trust vote. 258 members of the House of Representatives participated in the voting, while one member was absent.