The meeting of top ruling and opposition leaders in Baluwatar on Monday has failed to end the impasse in the House.
Prime Minister (PM) Pushpa Kamal Dahal held separate talks with ruling and opposition parties but failed to reach any conclusion, according to Nepali Congress (NC) lawmaker Jeevan Pariyar. “PM is trying to end the impasse by Monday evening. His initiative is appropriate. But the overall ruling coalition seems intent to keep this problem stuck instead of resolving it. We are suspicious about that,” Pariyar added.
The two sides will meet again in the evening.
The meeting featured NC Vice-president Purna Bahadur Khadka, former general secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula, General Secretary Gagan Thapa, and Chief Whip Ramesh Lekhak among others from the main opposition party.
Vice-chairman Bishnu Paudel, Law Minister Padam Giri and Chief Whip Mahesh Bartoula represented CPN-UML while Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun and Chief Whip Hit Raj Pandey represented CPN (Maoist Center) in the meeting.
President Rabi Lamichhane, Vice-president Swarnim Wagle, Chief Whip Santosh Pariyar and others from Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) were also present during the meeting.
The opposition parties including NC have been demanding parliamentary probe committee pointing that Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane has been linked to embezzlement of funds from various cooperatives and the issue about his alleged involvement in cooperative fraud should be addressed.
The two sides have already agreed to form the parliamentary probe committee and a task force has been formed to prepare the terms of reference for the committee. But it has failed to agree on whether Lamichhane should be named in the terms of reference of the parliamentary probe committee or not.
NC has been demanding that Lamichhane should be mentioned in the terms of reference while UML and RSP are against mentioning any individual’s name.
NC has proposed that the terms of reference should mention office-bearers of Gorkha Media who misappropriated money of cooperatives if Lamichhane’s name is not mentioned. Lamichhane was managing director of Gorkha Media when it illegally misappropriated hundreds of millions from different cooperatives.
Answering the questions raised on the government’s policies and programs in the House of Representatives on Sunday PM Dahal said that the impasse would end by the time of presenting budget on Tuesday.
NC looks set to obstruct presentation of the budget if the parliamentary probe committee were not formed.
According to the Constitution, the government is required to bring the budget for the new fiscal year by Jestha 15 which fall on May 28 this year.
