Nepali Congress has decided to launch street protests over misappropriation of cooperative funds.
A joint meeting of the NC central committee and parliamentary party held at the party’s central office in Sanepa of Lalitpur on Wednesday took the decision.
According to NC central member Dila Sangraula, the meeting decided to demand formation of a parliamentary probe committee on cooperative fraud in Parliament and raise voice for victims of cooperatives from the streets.
In the first phase, the party will organize a protest at Bhrikuti Mandap of Kathmandu on Friday demanding that the savings of cooperatives’ depositors be returned, Sangraula said.
It will be followed by protests in Pokhara and Butwal, where big cooperatives embroiled in fraud are located, she added.
NC has been obstructing Parliament proceedings demanding formation of a parliamentary committee to investigate Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane’s alleged involvement in cooperative fraud.
Ruling parties and main opposition NC have agreed in principle to form a parliamentary committee to investigate cooperative fraud.
A task force led by Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Padam Giri was formed to prepare the terms of reference of the parliamentary committee. CPN-UML Chief Whip Mahesh Bartaula, NC lawmaker Jeevan Pariyar and Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) lawmaker Shishir Khanal are members of the task force.
The task force has not been able to finalize the terms of reference and jurisdiction of the committee despite holding three rounds of discussion.
NC is adamant on mentioning Home Minister Lamichhane’s name in the terms of reference alleging his involvement in cooperative fraud, while UML and RSP have been saying that the names of Butwal-based Supreme Cooperative and Pokhara-based Suryadarshan Cooperative with alleged links to the home minister should be mentioned.
