KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 26

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s Cabinet on Friday decided to recommend to the president to call the winter session of the National Assembly from January 1.

As a legal provision stipulates that there should not be a gap of more than six months between the prorogation of one session of the Parliament and commencement of the next session of the Parliament, the government has to call the new session of the NA from January 1.

The government had abruptly ended the budget session of Parliament on July 2. Since the government has already dissolved the HoR, the NA will only have a limited role to play.

Assistant Spokesperson for the Parliament Secretariat Dasharath Dhamala said as the HoR had been dissolved, new laws could not be enacted. He said the NA could discuss the bills that might originate in the Upper House of the Parliament and also discuss Parliamentary motions.

Nepal Communist Party (NCP) lawmaker Ram Narayan Bidari who is also a senior advocate, said the NA could pass the bills sent by the HoR but if the Upper House deemed it necessary to make changes in the bills sent by the Lower House, then in the absence of the HoR, such bills could not be passed. Bidari said the bills currently registered in the HoR would lose their validity if the HoR was not revived. He said the NA could work as an oversight body by making the government answerable to people’s representatives.“The NA can conduct question and answer segments to make the government accountable. Upper House lawmakers can also bring motions on issues that concern the public,”

Bidari said. He said the NA could also endorse reports passed by the thematic committees of the Upper House.

Thirteen petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court against the dissolution of the HoR.

President Bidhya Devi Bhandari had dissolved the HoR on the recommendations of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on December 20. The SC will conduct continuous hearing on the petitions filed against the HoR from January 6.

Feature image: File