KATHMANDU: Speaker Devraj Ghimire has expressed concern over claims made by Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) MPs Sobita Gautam and Sumana Shrestha that they were denied the opportunity to speak in the House.
His personal secretariat stated that while the House process was being conducted as per regulations, allegations were being spread outside Parliament.
The dispute began when MP Sobita Gautam requested emergency time on February 10 to discuss a bill that had been passed on February 9.
The Speaker denied the request, stating that once a bill is passed, it cannot be considered an emergency issue. Before the bill was moved forward, discussions had already been held with the Law Minister, Deputy Speaker, and chief whips of five major parties, but RSP MPs insisted that the process had been disrupted.
Similarly, on February 17, MP Sumana Shrestha approached the Speaker just as the session was about to begin, requesting time to speak about Nepali students facing difficulties in India. However, Speaker Ghimire, who was just entering the meeting room, stated that he was unaware of the issue and advised her to inform Chief Whip Ashok Chaudhary, who had already secured speaking time, or raise the matter the next day.
The Speaker’s secretariat pointed out that if the matter was truly urgent, it could have been submitted to the Deputy Speaker, who was presiding at the time. They also expressed concern over what they described as an attempt to create pressure through media and social media, bypassing parliamentary procedures.
It was further clarified that before every House session, 20 to 30 MPs approach the Speaker’s chamber requesting emergency time, but only 8 to 10 are granted speaking opportunities.
The Speaker’s office noted that there have been growing concerns within the parliamentary administration regarding MPs seeking time for issues that do not meet the criteria for emergency discussions.
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