KATHMANDU: Speaker Devraj Ghimire has initiated discussions with the chief whips of major political parties in an attempt to break the deadlock in the House of Representatives, which has been stalled amid protests over the controversial visit visa scandal.
The Speaker’s Secretariat confirmed that Ghimire is currently holding a meeting with the chief whips at the Federal Parliament Building in New Baneshwor. The talks aim to find common ground on ending the opposition’s obstruction of parliamentary proceedings.
The ruling parties—CPN-UML and Nepali Congress—are insisting that Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, who has been implicated in the visa scam, should be allowed to speak in Parliament to defend himself. However, the main opposition, CPN (Maoist Centre), along with its allies, remains firm on their demand that the Home Minister must resign before any House proceedings can resume.
Due to the impasse, discussions on the national budget for the upcoming fiscal year—presented on May 29—have yet to begin. The parliamentary session scheduled for Tuesday was cancelled after no consensus could be reached. A follow-up session called for Wednesday at 1 pm has also failed to commence as of now.
With the budget deliberation process stalled, concerns are growing over the timely passage of key fiscal legislation, further raising pressure on all parties to reach a political compromise.
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