The Nepali Congress is preparing to appoint Ramhari Khatiwada as the chair of the Parliamentary Hearing Committee.
The position of chair of the Parliamentary Hearing Committee has been vacant since August 26.
Ishwari Devi Neupane, a member of the House of Representatives from the Nepali Congress who was the chair of the Parliamentary Hearing Committee, resigned from the post on August 26 and registered her nomination for the chair of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee on the same day. She was elected unopposed.
Prior to that, Khatiwada, also a member of the House of Representatives from the Nepali Congress, was the chair of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee.
After errors were found in the cooling-off period provision in the Federal Civil Service Bill, a parliamentary inquiry committee formed to investigate the matter held Khatiwada morally responsible. Subsequently, Khatiwada resigned from the chair of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee on August 12.
However, Khatiwada had consistently advocated for a two-year cooling-off period during the meetings of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee.
The Nepali Congress is now planning to appoint Khatiwada as a member of the Parliamentary Hearing Committee and make him its chair. The registration of nomination for the chair of the Parliamentary Hearing Committee is scheduled for Thursday.
According to a Nepali Congress office-bearer, the party is preparing to appoint Khatiwada as the chair of the Parliamentary Hearing Committee. “Preparations are underway to make Ramhariji the chair of the Parliamentary Hearing Committee,” the office-bearer said.
Party President Sher Bahadur Deuba and Vice-president Purna Bahadur Khadka were in favor of reinstating Khatiwada as the chair of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee, but General Secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma opposed the idea. The party then decided to appoint Ishwari Devi Neupane as the chair of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee.
With the errors in the cooling-off period provision already corrected by the National Assembly, the Nepali Congress is moving to appoint Khatiwada as the chair of the Parliamentary Hearing Committee.
According to the Nepali Congress office-bearer, although the party tried to nominate Chief Whip Shyam Kumar Ghimire for the chair of the Parliamentary Hearing Committee, he declined.
Khatiwada had expressed his wish to become a minister rather than a parliamentary committee chair to party leaders.
“The responsibility of future roles will not be hindered by becoming the chair of the Parliamentary Hearing Committee,” a source quoted the party as telling Khatiwada, encouraging him to run for the position.
