KATHMANDU: The scheduled meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR) today remains in doubt as opposition parties continue to demand the resignation of Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak over the visit visa scandal.
Talks between the ruling and opposition parties have so far failed to break the deadlock, leading to repeated postponements of the House session.
According to the Parliament Secretariat, Wednesday’s meeting had been rescheduled for 1 p.m. today (Thursday), but there has been no indication that it will move forward, given the lack of consensus.
Speaker Devraj Ghimire held discussions on Wednesday with party leaders and chief whips from both sides in a bid to resolve the ongoing dispute.
However, the opposition has maintained a firm stance, insisting that the home minister must step down before any parliamentary proceedings can resume.
The dispute originally disrupted Tuesday’s meeting, which was first postponed to Thursday. Yet, with no progress in negotiations, the situation remains unchanged.
The opposition, particularly the Maoist Centre, argues that the scandal has cast serious doubt on the government’s integrity and that Lekhak’s resignation is essential to allow for an impartial investigation.
They have also called on the prime minister to issue a formal statement in Parliament, taking responsibility and pledging to address the issue.
During the Speaker’s meeting, Maoist Centre Chief Whip Hit Raj Pandey reiterated that until Lekhak resigns, the House cannot function properly.
Meanwhile, the ruling parties, including the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML, continue to argue that the home minister should be allowed to address Parliament and defend himself before any further action is taken.
The standoff has stalled discussions on the national budget, which was tabled in a joint session of Parliament on May 29.
Although the budget has been formally presented, debate on it has yet to begin due to the continued obstruction by the opposition.
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