Nine months ago, CPN-UML’s KP Sharma Oli became the prime minister with the support of Nepali Congress, the largest party in the federal parliament.

The relationship between the coalition partners has been rocky as the government confronts multiple problems. Amid increasing public frustration, dissatisfaction with the government’s performance has been heard loud and clear even from top Congress leaders.

In the face of the government failing to address issues such as the agitating teachers’ demands, the two-party mechanism formed to facilitate the coalition’s functioning met on Wednesday evening. It tried to allay fears that the coalition is headed for a breakup, as the opposition leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal has been openly saying lately.

Considering the statements by Congress general secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma and a factional leader Shekhar Koirala, Prime Minister Oli no longer enjoys the cordial relations with the party led by Sher Bahadur Deuba.

However, a meeting of the Congress and the UML on Wednesday ruled out any problems between the two parties.

Amid signs of growing frustration even among the Congress leaders, the largest party has decided to review the performance of the government amid many street protests.

After getting negative feedback from party leaders on the UML-Congress government’s performance, Deuba called a meeting of present and former office bearers, ministers and chief whips of the party and discussed with them ways to improve government performance.

As Thapa, Sharma and senior leader Koirala have ratched up their criticism of the government, the Congress party has agreed to review the ruling coalition’s performance.

Deuba, after the discussion with Congress colleagues, said the party is committed to the seven-point UML-Congress agreement reached in July last year. That means he is in favour of giving continuity to the government.

According to party spokesperson Prakash Sharan Mahat, Deuba said at the meeting that the Congress is not against the Oli government but it has to “improve on multiple fronts”.

The Congress and the UML, the largest and second-largest parties respectively in the House of Representatives, signed a seven-point deal last July agreeing to form the government under Oli. The government leadership will be handed to Deuba after two years [in July 2026] as per the deal.

“The performance of the government should improve. There should be better coordination between the ruling parties and the government must improve its delivery,” said Mahat.

There have been disputes between the Congress and the UML over the issues of appointing the Nepal Rastra Bank governor, promotion of six Nepal Police additional inspector generals, resignation of Tribhuvan University Vice-chancellor Keshar Jung Baral, decision to delay the bill on the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority, and the removal of Kulman Ghising as managing director of the Nepal Electricity Authority.

On Thursday, according to multiple Congress leaders, Deuba dropped hints of Gunakar Bhatta being appointed the central bank governor. Currently a director at the NRB, Bhatta is said to be well equipped to be the 18th governor.

During a meeting between Oli and Deuba on Wednesday, Oli reportedly asked Deuba to recommend the name of the next governor. As per the understanding with Oli, Deuba at the Thursday meeting indicated the country would get a careerist as the next governor.

The government has formed a three-member recommendation committee led by Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel to pick the governor.

Meanwhile, the home ministry on Thursday recommended six Nepal Police deputy inspector generals for promotion to additional inspector general positions.

The recommendation was delayed as politicians’ preferences of the candidates for the vacant positions clashed. According to the home ministry, DIGs Chandra Kuber Khapung, Lalmani Acharya, Krishna Hari Sharma Pokharel, Dan Bahadur Karki, Rajan Adhikari and Manoj KC have been recommended for the posts of AIG. The Cabinet needs to confirm the names.

On the agitation of school teachers, now in the third week, the Congress meeting assigned Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak and general secretary duo Thapa and Sharma to urgently suggest a way out.

According to Congress leaders, Deuba also assured them that he would talk to Prime Minister Oli if there are any concerns over the government’s performance but that there was also no alternative to the current coalition.

CPN (Maoist Centre) chair Dahal openly says that he has given Nepali Congress a “blank cheque” to craft a new government, if the Congress breaks ties with the UML. Dahal, who preceded Oli as prime minister, argues that the incumbent government has become increasingly unpopular.

But a government cannot be made or unmade on the basis of the opposition leader’s statement, said Congress spokesperson Mahat.

It is natural for the opposition to wish for this government’s collapse, said Mahat. But coordination among the ruling parties and service delivery are vital, he stressed.