Speaker Agni Sapkota has claimed that the federal parliament has been besieged.
"The federal parliament has been greatly besieged from the point where it started to move with full determination on the question of national interest," Sapkota said addressing a program wherein newly elected executive committee of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) assumed office on Sunday.
Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli had vented ire on Speaker Sapkota during the all-party meeting at Baluwatar on Saturday accusing the latter of preventing the government from doing its work. PM Oli has been accusing him of stopping the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact from being tabled in the House on instruction of CPN (Maoist Center) on whose ticket he was elected.
Sapkota has refrained from commenting on the issue of MCC saying it is under deliberation. He said he knows the kinds of comments that are being made about him. "Where I am happy is I have not been putting forth my position. I don't care what they say. The dangerous illusion will be ended through great debate," he stated.
He claimed he will work independently. "I have to work independently. I have not worked under anyone's pressure or influence," he stressed. "I also have to consider fairness. The people have delegated the sovereignty to 275 (HoR members) or 334 (total federal lawmakers). That rights about sovereignty are centered on the Speaker from time to time. Speaker must move forward knowing the wishes of the people."
