KATHMANDU: Following the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee’s decision to form a parliamentary investigation committee over alleged manipulation of the “cooling-off period” clause in the Federal Civil Service Bill, Speaker Devraj Ghimire has begun consultations with major party whips.
According to sources, Speaker Ghimire held preliminary discussions with Committee Chair Ramhari Khatiwada, CPN-UML Chief Whip Mahesh Kumar Bartaula, Nepali Congress Chief Whip Shyam Kumar Ghimire, Maoist Center MP Hitraj Pandey, and Rastriya Swatantra Party’s Chief Whip Santosh Pariyar.
The discussion focused on the potential structure and terms of reference of the proposed investigation committee.
Leaders present reportedly advised waiting for Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s return from his ongoing foreign visit to finalize the committee with top-level political consensus.
Meanwhile, Parliament Secretariat Secretary General Padma Prasad Pandey informed the Speaker that internal administrative inquiry has also begun.
Secretariat Secretary Dr. Rojanath Pandey has been tasked with conducting a preliminary administrative probe and archiving relevant documents.
The controversy stems from the insertion of a new sub-clause in the bill during its presentation in Parliament, which critics say undermined the committee’s original intention of enforcing a two-year cooling-off period for former civil servants before taking up constitutional or government appointments.
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