KATHMANDU, JUNE 24

The opposition parties have expressed polarised stances on the issue of 'visit visa' and 'nexus' in immigration. On Monday, the government appointed a seven-member probe committee led by former chief secretary Shankar Das Bairagi to look into the visit visa scam.

On Tuesday, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak informed the House about the formation of the committee. He stated that the committee was given a nine-point mandate to make recommendations for short-term, long-term, legal, and institutional reforms.

The chief opposition party, the CPN-MC, welcomed the government's decision to establish the inquiry committee. Another opposition party, the CPN (Unified Socialist) Party, remained silent on the issue.

However, the two opposition parties-the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP)-have expressed dissatisfaction with the high-level study and probe committee.

Barshaman Pun, a CPN-MC lawmaker and deputy general secretary, welcomed the government's move and stated that the public and the CPN-MC would publicly monitor any distrust.

'The government has set up a high-level committee to investigate the visit visa scam. We appreciate the government's decision. Let the committee work to resolve the problem,' Pun said, addressing the House. 'If no serious investigation is conducted and distrust develops, the public will undoubtedly monitor it. There will be criticism. We will continue to monitor and warn on behalf of the main opposition party.'

However, RSP legislator and Vice-President Swarnim Wagle rejected the government-appointed committee and announced that the boycott of Parliament would continue. He reiterated his call for the formation of a high-level parliamentary inquiry committee or an inquiry committee chaired by a sitting or former judge under the Commission of Inquiry Act of 1969.

'We had a hunch that this unpopular government would take similar action against looting, organised crime, money laundering, and human trafficking perpetrated through the misuse of visit visas. So, why Shankar Das? Tirtha Bhattarai would have been a better option, as he even used to go for morning walks with Lekhak,' Wagle said satirically.

'This is unacceptable to us. A high-level parliamentary inquiry committee, or an inquiry committee established under the Inquiry Commission 1969, should be chaired by a sitting or former judge,' he added.

Meanwhile, the RPP rejected the investigation committee and maintained its boycott policy. RPP Chief Whip Gyan Bahadur Shahi accused the government of forming a committee to exonerate the accused and called for an investigation into the roles of 14 home ministers appointed over the last 18 years. He declared, 'We cannot accept this committee. This goes beyond political interests; justice must be served, and all those responsible must be held accountable.'

Initially, the opposition parties-including CPN-MC, the CPN (Unified Socialist), the RSP, the RPP, and others-demanded that Home Minister Lekhak resign, accusing him of direct involvement. They obstructed parliament on May 27 by demanding the formation of a high-level parliamentary investigation committee or judicial investigation commission into all home ministers since 2007.

On June 7, following discussions between former Prime Minister and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN-MC Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the CPN-MC reversed its previous position. On June 13, they reached a two-point agreement with the ruling party, lifting the parliament's 18-day suspension.

The RSP condemned the CPN-MC move as a betrayal, while the RPP accused it of colluding with powerful interests. The CPN-MC faced widespread criticism after backing down on the visit visa scam. Nonetheless, the leaders defended their decision. Dahal had said that they had made a two-point agreement for the benefit of the country and the people after assessing all the circumstances.

Bairagi is believed to have special affinity with top leaders of political parties-including CPN-UML, NC and CPN-MC. He is back in the game once again in the interest of the power centre, this time for Deuba.