NC, JSP-N seek winter session of Parliament immediately

The two parties will discuss issues they can collaborate on in the winter session

KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 19

The Nepali Congress and Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal today demanded that the government call the winter session of Parliament as soon as possible.

Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba called Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal leaders Mahantha Thakur, Baburam Bhattarai and Rajendra Mahato to his residence in Budhanilkantha today and discussed how they could collaborate in the Parliament when the next session of Parliament commences, said Mahato.

He said the two parties decided to urge the government to call the regular winter session as the government had to call the new session of Parliament within 12 days. As per the constitutional provision, there should not be a gap of more than six months between the end of one session of Parliament and the commencement of another session.

Hence, the government was obliged to call the winter session of Parliament by January 1. The government had abruptly ended the budget session of Parliament on July 1.

Mahato said the two parties agreed that the government had to call the regular winter session of parliament soon.

“Our party will discuss with the NC what issues to collaborate on when the next session begins,” Mahato said, adding that both parties also agreed they could adopt independent strategies on those issues where they differed, particularly on constitutional issues.

NC lawmaker Ramesh Lekhak, who was present in the meeting, said the leader of Opposition Deuba held a meeting with JSP-N leaders today as the executive committee of the NC Parliamentary Party had decided yesterday to hold discussions with JSP-N on possible collaboration in the Parliament.

“Both the NC and the JSP-N can collaborate and coordinate in the Parliament against the government’s misrule. The government has failed to control COVID-19 and to give relief to people. The government also issued an ordinance amending the Constitutional Council Act without any justification.

We can jointly raise these issues,” Lekhak said.