Opposition unified on RSP’s proposal, parliament deadlock continues as NC resists probe

KATHMANDU: Efforts to resolve the ongoing deadlock in the Federal Parliament over the visit visa scandal failed again on Wednesday, as the Nepali Congress remained unwilling to agree to a parliamentary investigation committee—despite a unified stance among opposition parties.

The stalemate, ongoing since the first week of Jestha, revolves around the five-point demand put forward by the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), which includes the resignation of Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak and the formation of a probe committee into the visa scandal.

Opposition parties held another round of talks on Wednesday, reaffirming their support for the RSP’s demands. This was followed by a meeting between the ruling and opposition parties, which also failed to produce an agreement. A separate discussion convened by Speaker Devraj Ghimire with chief whips of both camps similarly ended without resolution.

As a result, the scheduled House session for 1:30 pm was postponed to 3:15 pm, but remained uncertain due to lack of consensus. The main opposition, CPN (Maoist Centre), supported the RSP’s five-point proposal and showed flexibility on the resignation demand while standing firm on the need for an investigation.

Despite joining the collective stance, the Nepali Congress continues to oppose the formation of a parliamentary inquiry committee, although it has expressed commitment to fighting corruption in general.

During the opposition’s internal meeting, a unified position on the five-point demand was reached and later submitted to Speaker Ghimire by the chief whips. Leaders participating in the meeting included CPN (Maoist Centre)’s Deputy General Secretary Barshaman Pun, Hit Raj Pandey, RSP’s Santosh Pariyar, CPN (Unified Socialist)’s Rajendra Pandey, and Aam Janata Party’s Prabhu Sah.

Following this, the opposition reasserted its firm stance in discussions with the ruling coalition, and maintained the position before the Speaker as well. However, with Nepali Congress unwilling to agree on a formal investigation, the Parliament session scheduled for the afternoon remains uncertain.