Neither UML nor the speaker has made any move to resolve the issue
KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 18
The next meeting of the House of Representatives has been scheduled for Monday but no effort has been made by any side till now, neither from the main opposition CPN- UML, nor the speaker to end the current deadlock in the Parliament.
The CPN-UML has been obstructing proceedings in the House accusing Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota of playing a role in splitting the party by not confirming the expulsion of 14 lawmakers.
Sapkota's Press Secretary Shreedhar Neupane said the speaker was holding informal talks with political leaders to end the deadlock.
When asked how the speaker would hold dialogue with UML leaders as they had refused to attend an all-party meeting on September 13, Neupane said that there was no certainty how the next dialogue with UML leaders would take place.
Neupane said the UML first condemned Sapkota for not holding talks with them, but when Sapkota called an all-party meeting they said that there was no need for an allparty meeting and a meeting between Sapkota, UML and the prime minister would be enough. "All-party meeting is the best way to end the deadlock in the House, but they are against all-party meetings. This means they are just trying to negate the speaker's attempt to end the stalemate," Neupane added.
UML lawmaker Khagaraj Adhikari said the speaker had not reached out to his party to end the deadlock in the House.
The speaker's role aided national and international reactionary forces' attempt to split our party and the speaker is trying to bulldoze us to move House proceedings ahead, he said and added the speaker was acting at the behest of CPN-Maoist Centre Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Finance Minister Janardan Sharma and Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand, and that was the reason the speaker was not discussing House disruption in the Business Advisory Committee.
CPN-MC Chief Whip in the House of Representatives Dev Prasad Gurung said it would be difficult to reach a negotiated settlement with the CPN-UML as the party had put forth an unconstitutional demand.
"How can a party lawmaker seek the speaker's resignation over an issue which is sub judice in the Supreme Court?" he wondered.
Gurung said that UML was obstructing House proceedings to sabotage the political system and if they succeeded, that would undermine national independence and pave the way for foreign forces to make political manoeuvres in the country. He said the UML had signed the new constitution expressing its commitment to the current political system, but in practice it was not adhering to the system.
A version of this article appears in the print on September 19 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
