Pokhara, January 9

Speaker of the federal Parliament Krishna Bahadur Mahara clarified that Resham Chaudhary’s parliamentary membership remains suspended even after his swearing-in.

“Though he took the oath of office as an MP, it’s important to note that his (Chaudhary’s) membership of the Parliament does not hold. It’s suspended as he has returned to custody for trial after swearing in,” Mahara said to journalists at Pokhara Airport today.

He, however, refused to take responsibility for the swearing-in of a murder accused.

“The government should take responsibility for the swearing-in. There was no option for me in the face of tremendous pressure from the government and the party he was elected from,” Mahara argued. “What could I do in amidst the pressure from the party concerned and the Election Commission to get him sworn in, and add to that, the pressure from the government?” he asked.

Mahara urged all not to blow out of proportion the issue of opposition lawmakers being barred from asking question to the prime minister following the latter’s address in the Parliament on Sunday.

“The opposition has described the incident as an attempt of the government to seize the Parliament, which is not true. Members of the Parliament always have the right to ask questions, so making it an issue is pointless,” he said.

“As the Parliament has to pass a number of bills, I hope the opposition will cooperate to ensure that the House runs smoothly,” he said.