Kathmandu, November 26

Meeting of Legislature Parliament was obstructed today over a dispute on who should get the opportunity to address the meeting first.

Immediately after Speaker Onsari Gharti began today’s Parliament meeting, lawmakers of Nepali Congress and agitating Madhes-based parties stood up and demanded special time to speak. Gharti asked Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal leader Upendra Yadav to be the first speaker.

It riled the NC lawmakers, who got up and questioned the Speaker for breaking parliamentary tradition by not letting the main opposition speak first. Gharti requested the NC lawmakers to sit down and assured them that the NC would get a chance to speak after Yadav.

Gharti said she gave Yadav chance to speak first, as Madhes-based parties were the first ones to seek special time to speak. But NC lawmakers didn’t buy her argument and kept on demanding that the party should get first chance to speak as per the set parliamentary practice, forcing Gharti to postpone today’s meeting for five days till December 1.

Later Speaker Gharti and NC leaders blamed each other for the postponement of House meeting. Gharti claimed she asked Yadav to speak first as per the understanding with NC Chief Whip Chinkaji Shrestha at the meeting of chief whips of seven major parties held just before the House meeting began.

However, NC Chief Whip Shrestha begged to differ, saying, “During the meeting of chief whips with Speaker, Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal Chief Whip Shivajee Yadav had demanded that Upendra Yadav should be the first speaker in the House.

But I had asked Shivajee whether that would resolve the Tarai problem. While I was still discussing the matter with Shivajee the Speaker began the House meeting abruptly. I had not given any consent to let Yadav speak first.”

NC leader Bimalendra Nidhi accused Gharti of serving the interest of the ruling coalition by not letting the main opposition speak first. He alleged that Gharti’s move was meant to create a division between the NC and the agitating parties. Nidhi said he was prepared to speak on behalf of the NC today and push the government to table the constitution amendment bill and resolve the Madhes crisis.

NC lawmakers said they had to oppose the Speaker’s move as the main opposition would have missed the chance of speaking at the Parliament since agitating Madhes-based parties were preparing to obstruct the House after Yadav address.

Sources present at the meeting of the chief whips claimed that lack of communication between Speaker Gharti and NC Chief Whip Shrestha that led to the postponement of the House meeting.

Some NC lawmakers blamed Shrestha for not properly communicating to NC lawmakers what transpired at the meeting of seven parties’ chief whips with the Speaker.