KATHMANDU: Opposition parties Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) staged a walkout from Monday’s meeting of the House of Representatives, reiterating their demand for the resignation of Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak and the formation of either a judicial or parliamentary committee to investigate the visit visa controversy in which the minister has been implicated.
The walkout came after both parties were given time by Speaker Devraj Ghimire to present their views on the matter. Speaking on behalf of RSP, MP Asim Shah claimed that the public would “never forget” the scandal.
“Mr. Speaker, I want to ask the Home Minister where the case files of the human traffickers—operating in the name of visit visas—have gone. Don’t make the mistake of thinking the people will forget. We will never let them forget,” he said.
RPP lawmaker Dhruva Bahadur Pradhan argued that the real problem lay not in the visit visa system itself, but in the intent behind its misuse. “The problem is not the visit visa—everyone travels on it. The problem is the intent,” he said, noting that both the Ministry of Labour and the Department of Immigration, which falls under the Home Ministry, are linked to the issue.
Pradhan insisted that only an independent judicial inquiry could ensure a fair investigation. “We want a solution, Mr. Speaker. When there is already a conflict of interest, how can an internal probe be fair? That is why we have called for a judicial commission,” he said.
RSP and RPP have been obstructing parliamentary proceedings since June 26 over the same demand.
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