KATHMANDU: The Parliament on Tuesday formed a committee to probe into the budget leak issue as demanded by the main opposition Nepali Congress.

CPN-UML Chief Whip Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal had proposed to form a nine-member special committee led by Nepali Congress lawmaker Ramesh Lekhak.

Other members of the panel, however, are yet to be named.

Chief Whips of Nepali Congress and UCPN-Maoist Chin Kaji Shrestha and Hit Raj Pandey respectively had seconded the proposal.

The panel is mandated to look into the issue and submit the report within 3.5 months.

The House, then, had endorsed the proposal unanimously.

After the formation of the panel, the main opposition stopped obstructions at the House. Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel subsequently tabled a proposal to begin debate on the budget announcement.

Earlier, the ruling parties had agreed to form such panel as demanded by the main opposition.

Nepali Congress on Monday had obstructed the House proceedings demanding formation of the panel claiming the government leaked vital budget information to media before it was presented at the House on Saturday and deprived the Parliament of its prerogative to know the fiscal document first.

The NC had announced that it would not let the debate on budget begin unless the Parliament formed a probe panel to look into how media got information about size and features of the budget announcement before it was presented at the House on Saturday.

Home Minister updates House on Kedia abduction

Meanwhile, Home Minister Shakti Bahadur Basnet updated the House about abduction and release of industrialist Suresh Kedia.

He informed that four Nepalis were nabbed in connection to the case and Nepal Police was investigating into it.