KATHMANDU: Although a meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR) was scheduled for today, its convening remains uncertain due to the opposition’s continued demand for the resignation of Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak over the visit visa controversy.
According to the Parliament Secretariat, Tuesday’s House meeting was adjourned until 1 p.m. today (Wednesday) after negotiations between the ruling coalition and opposition parties failed to produce an agreement on Lekhak’s resignation.
Speaker Devraj Ghimire held two rounds of talks on Tuesday with leaders and chief whips from both sides in an attempt to resolve the deadlock. However, the meeting could not proceed as the opposition maintained that the Home Minister’s resignation was a non-negotiable prerequisite.
Originally, Tuesday’s session was scheduled for 11 a.m., but it was first postponed to 2 p.m. as talks continued. With no progress, it was ultimately deferred until 1 p.m. today.
The opposition has outlined a three-point demand: Formation of a high-level investigation committee to probe the visit visa issue, covering the period from the enactment of the Labor Act in 2064 BS to the present.
Immediate resignation of Home Minister Lekhak to ensure an impartial investigation and prevent interference during the probe.
A statement from the Prime Minister in the House, taking responsibility and making a clear commitment to address the issue.
Opposition leaders reiterated these demands during the meeting convened by Speaker Ghimire, but no consensus was reached, leaving the fate of today’s HoR meeting hanging in the balance.
Comment