Neither speaker nor the protesting lawmakers were clear about the House procedure and veteran MPs had to counsel them
KATHMANDU, JULY 16
Rastriya Swatantra Party and Rastriya Prajatantra Party lawmakers obstructed HoR proceedings for 15 minutes today.
Today's meeting of the Lower House was scheduled to present 'Bill 2023 related to amendment of some Nepal Acts'. The government is preparing to amend about 80 laws simultaneously through this bill.
However, lawmakers expressed their dissatisfaction with the bill, arguing that the bill included certain objectionable provisions.
One of the provisions was: If any political group wants to enter peaceful politics after negotiating with the government, the government can withdraw cases pending in the court against the group members.
RSP and RPP had proposed that such a bill should not even be introduced in the HoR.
The bill is presented by the Ministry of Law. But after a notice of opposition is registered, the MP who gives the notice gets to speak in the Parliament.
Gyanendra Shahi of RPP, Prem Suwal of Nepal Workers and Peasants' Party, Sumana Shrestha and Sobita Gautam of RSP filed notices of opposition to this government bill. They were all set to present their views before the law minister today.
These MPs said crime should not be justified under political guise.
MP Gyanendra Shahi said that there was a risk that the case would be withdrawn if a person who burnt a vehicle was a member of a party.
Sumana Shrestha said Parliament should not be used as holy water that purges sins.
"We believe in revolution through ballot, not through the barrel of a gun. We will carry the burden of the people. Not of activists and gangsters," said Shrestha. "No matter what kind of crime, heinous or minor, crime cannot be condoned in the guise of politics."
Law Minister Dhanraj Gurung defended the bill. He said the bill proposed to amend the Criminal Procedure Code of the State 2017, so that a case can be withdrawn only through political agreement. He said this proposal would help in the adoption of the constitution and enforcement of existing laws.
The speaker then presented the objection notices for decision.
Majority in the Parliament rejected the objection notices of the four lawmakers After this, Speaker Devraj Ghimire gave permission to present the Bill 2023 to amend some Nepal acts in accordance with Rule 106 of the Parliament.
After the law minister introduced the bill, the speaker gave time to the Minister of Education Ashok Rai to submit a proposal of Nepal University Bill 2023.
But as soon as Minister Rai took the rostrum, RSP and RPP lawmakers stood up and questioned the procedure of the bill.
This perplexed the speaker.
As both the speaker and HoR Secretary Padma Prasad Pandey were new, they too were confused.
They went through the rules of the House of Representatives.
The speaker adjourned the meeting for 15 minutes.
During that 15-minute break, veteran parliamentarians clarified the process to RSP lawmakers and the speaker as well. After that the meeting proceeded smoothly.
A version of this article appears in the print on July 17, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
