KATHMANDU: Four lawmakers who recently defected to the CPN-UML from CPN (Maoist Center) have lost their parliamentarian memberships. The federal parliament secretariat officially relieved them of their posts.
As soon as the meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR) began, Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota read out the names of Lekh Raj Bhatta, Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, Gauri Shankar Chaudhary and Prabhu Shah, saying that they are no longer lawmakers.
All of them were Ministers in the incumbent Prime Minister KP Oli’s cabinet. Along with the cancellation of their membership to the parliament, they automatically lost the post of ministers as well.
The Prime Minister has to re-appoint them under Article 78 of the constitution to make them ministers again. However, they must secure membership to either HoR or National Assembly (NA) within six months if they are appointed as Minsiters under Article 78.
Earlier, they were appointed Ministers under Article 76 (9) of the constitution.
Lekh Raj Bhatta was the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Top Bahadur Rayamajhi the Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Gauri Shankar Chaudhary the Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security and Prabhu Shah the Minister for Urban Development.
CPN (Maoist Center) on Tuesday had informed the parliament secretariat that lawmakers Bhatta, Rayamajhi, Chaudhary and Shah had quit their posts as lawmakers.
Bhatta had been elected to the HoR from Kailali-4, Rayamajhi from Arghakhanchi, Chaudhary from Kilali-3 and Shah from Rautahat- 3.
They had defected to the UML from the Maoist Center.
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