KATHMANDU: A verbal dispute erupted between Rishikesh Pokharel, Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) under the House of Representatives, and committee member Aman Lal Modi during a meeting held at Singha Durbar on Thursday.
The altercation began after Maoist Centre lawmaker Modi accused Chairperson Pokharel of consistently preventing opposition members from speaking on public interest issues during committee meetings. He criticized Pokharel’s conduct as undemocratic and claimed the Chair was trying to suppress the opposition’s voice.
Tensions escalated further when Modi alleged that Pokharel often invited YouTubers to the committee to express opinions, while ignoring elected members. In response, Chairperson Pokharel claimed that Modi speaks in the committee just to gain online views, suggesting that Modi brings his own cameraman to record for promotional purposes.
Pokharel also accused Modi of repeatedly disrupting the decorum of the PAC. In return, Modi emphasized that he was appointed to the committee by his party, not by the chair, and would continue to speak on matters of public interest.
Throughout the heated exchange, Pokharel accused Modi of using the committee platform for personal publicity and “YouTube stunts,” while Modi stood firm on his criticism of the chair’s leadership.
Meanwhile, in more procedural matters, the PAC decided to extend the tenure of various sub-committees by one month. These sub-committees were previously formed to investigate 48 public complaints submitted to the committee.
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