Nepali Congress demands formation of Parliamentary Probe Committee against Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane
KATHMANDU, MARCH 19
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has requested the Nepali Congress, the main opposition party, refrain from obstructing the Lower House meeting and urged it not to unnecessarily politicise DPM and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane's issue.
Nepali Congress, which was the ruling alliance a few weeks ago, is no longer in power. And so its lawmakers have repeatedly raised the issue of cooperative fraud and the involvement of Lamichhane in it and said that Lamichhane's position as home minister would have an impact on the investigation.
However, Dahal said that his government is determined to lead with the resolution of promoting good governance, and it is investing in big scandals such as gold smuggling and illegal encroachment on public land. "The government will escalate its efforts against such illegal activities," he said.
Responding to the queries posed by opposition legislators about the appointment of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane in the wake of allegations of abusing cooperative funds, the PM clarified, "Investigations thus far have not linked him to the cooperative's Board of Directors, account committee, or loan committee."
"Furthermore, the police have informed me that no sufficient link has been discovered indicating that Lamichhane had an inappropriate connection to the cooperative funds. He has not been proven to be an employee of the cooperative or hold any institutional positions. Furthermore, he is not facing any ongoing legal proceedings."
The PM informed the House that documents indicated that a cooperative loan issued in Lamichhane's name had been repaid, and the police had informed the government that no further investigation was required in Lamichhane's case. The Nepali Congress has criticised Lamichhane's appointment as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs, claiming that he is being investigated for his alleged involvement in cooperative frauds.
"As a result, I would like to request that the Nepali Congress, which has a long history of legislative practice, refrain from obstructing house proceedings or creating unnecessary political circumstances or problems to mislead citizens," the PM added.
"It would be plausible if the main opposition party in parliament raised the relevant challenges that Nepal is facing rather than causing unnecessary political uproar."
On the other hand, Nepali Congress has demanded that a parliamentary committee be formed to investigate Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane's involvement in cooperative irregularities. It warned that if the government is not prepared to conduct a fair investigation, the parliament will be obstructed.
Furthermore, the Congress was dissatisfied with the Prime Minister's responses regarding Lamichhane. As soon as the question-and-answer session concluded, Congress MPs stood up and protested.
Finally, the speaker allotted time to Congress, and chief whip Ramesh Lekhak stated that all of the Prime Minister's claims were not rational, and 'we are not satisfied with his responses.' He also cited the resignations of several ministers when their names came up in controversies regarding fair investigation.
"The prime minister's comments did not satisfy, but rather raised more concerns. The concern is that the Prime Minister is being fed incorrect information." Lekhak said, "If the Prime Minister is misinformed, how can we expect a fair investigation?"
"Despite the abundance of evidence, such as the victim's complaints, the Pokhara Metropolis study report, and the document authorised by Lamichhane himself at the government office, the Prime Minister said that there was no evidence," Lekhak said.
The Prime Minister claimed that there was no evidence. However, we see sufficient evidence, so "let us form a probe committee within the House and investigate whether there is evidence or not."
Similarly, speaking at the HoR meeting on Monday, NC's general secretary, Gagan Thapa, demanded the resignation of Minister of Home Affairs, Rabi Lamichhane, over the misappropriation of cooperative funds. "Whoever committed fraud at the cooperative should be investigated fairly. How can we believe that the person who committed the crime will conduct his own investigation?"
Meanwhile, Lamichhane has claimed that he was not involved in embezzlement of cooperative funds. Lamichhane had previously filed a defamation lawsuit against Kantipur Media Group for publishing news about cooperative loans by mixing his name with its media outlets.
Additionally, today, speaking with mediapersons after the House Session at New Baneshwor, Lamichhane challenged the Nepali Congress, saying that they could obstruct House Sessions for four years if they only wanted this.
"If they are going to form a committee, block the parliament, or demand resignation on a single complaint, I would like to tell them to stick to it," he said. "We will answer their queries with the kind of hard work that people are seeking."
Likewise, ruling alliance partner and CPN-UML chair KP Sharma Oli has stated that it is impossible to establish a parliamentary committee to investigate cooperative issues. "What will the parliamentary committee serve for? It is not possible," President Oli stated.
He said that Nepali Congress should not display such vindictive enthusiasm as soon as it is out of the government. "NC is no longer in government. A party such as the Congress should refrain from engaging in acts of agitation, vindictive behaviour, or obstruction of Parliament once it is no longer in power. We anticipate a land of responsible opposition and mature behaviour from Congress," he said.
