KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress (NC) lawmaker Gagan Thapa has said that the status of the lawmakers has fallen as they started taking money in the name of development.

Speaking at a meeting of the House of Representatives on Saturday, Thapa said lawmakers should present themselves as policymakers without taking budget in the name of development.

According to Thapa, the status has deteriorated after the lawmaker, who was supposed to play a role in formulating the budget, went to the minister’s door to ask for a plan.

“What is the role of parliament in budget formulation? What is the role of lawmakers? What is the meaning and relation of the ideology we carry?”Thapa questioned.