KATHMANDU: A deadlock persisted within the task force aimed at forming a parliamentary investigation committee to delve into the co-operative fraud case, with contention surrounding the inclusion of Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane’s name.
Under the chairmanship of Minister of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Padam Giri, the task group faltered to reach consensus on whether Lamichhane’s name should feature in the Terms of Reference (TOR) of the parliamentary committee.
While all other aspects were settled in a meeting at the Ministry of Law in Singha Durbar on Sunday afternoon, Minister Giri told Khabarhub that deliberations on Lamichhane’s inclusion remained unresolved.
“Everything else has been agreed upon. We did not reach an agreement on whether to name Rabi Lamichhane or not,” Minister Giri stated.
“We adjourned the session upon the Nepali Congress’s request for time to internally deliberate and arrive at a final decision.”
Insiders revealed that the ruling party was inclined to acknowledge cooperatives allegedly linked to Home Minister Lamichhane, such as Suryadarshan and Supriya, in the agenda.
However, consensus failed between the government and the opposition regarding Lamichhane’s name.
The meeting was temporarily adjourned at the request of NC leader Jiwan Pariyar, representing the main opposition Nepali Congress, for additional deliberation time.
Following the meeting, Mahesh Bartaula, Chief Whip of CPN-UML, the ruling coalition partner, expressed optimism, stating that while the Nepali Congress sought time for detailed deliberations, he anticipated further decisions in the subsequent meeting later in the evening.
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