Ruling coalition accused of manipulating the budget.

KATHMANDU, JUNE 26 — On June 15, the Madhes provincial government presented a budget of nearly Rs 47 billion for the upcoming fiscal year 2025/26. Finance Minister Sunil Kumar Yadav of the Nepali Congress handed over the budget details—known as the "Red Book"—to lawmakers on Wednesday.

Soon after reviewing it, Janamat Party Chairperson CK Raut took to social media to express his dissatisfaction. In a Facebook post, he said he felt betrayed by the budget, claiming it ignored the policies and priorities of his party. “I’m a victim just like you,” he wrote. “The Red Book doesn’t reflect our party’s vision or commitments to the people.”

Although the government is led by Janamat Party’s Chief Minister Satish Kumar Singh, Raut accused it of sidelining the party’s major programmes and instead favouring projects suggested by brokers and middlemen. He claimed that while other parties' projects received millions in funding, Janamat’s proposals were allocated only a fraction—sometimes as little as Rs 500,000.

Janamat spokesperson Dr. Sharad Singh Yadav said the party’s top leadership would meet on Sunday to discuss their position and decide on possible actions. He clarified that no decision has been made yet to leave the government, but admitted the party is disappointed. “Our expectations for a visionary budget were not met. Even if we don’t control key ministries like Finance or Physical Planning, we are still leading the government. If we can’t deliver, the public and our party will suffer,” he said.

Meanwhile, five opposition parties—CPN (Maoist Centre), CPN (Unified Socialist), Janata Samajwadi Party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, and Nepal Federal Socialist Party—have jointly decided to boycott the provincial assembly meeting. They, too, claim the budget was designed to benefit middlemen and lacks transparency, according to CPN-MC lawmaker Yubaraj Bhattarai.

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