Kathmandu, June 15

Lawmakers of major political parties, including those in the government today vented ire against the government for not working effectively to provide relief and move the reconstruction works forward.

Speaking at the meeting of the Legislature-Parliament today, Nepali Congress lawmakers including Arjun Narsingh KC and Ramhari Khatiwada warned that Congress would obstruct the House meeting if the government did not clarify the status of relief and reconstruction works and address of their concerns by the next meeting.

The Congress was planning to obstruct the House meeting today, but postponed it for until the next meeting giving the government a chance to come up with satisfying answers to the NC’s concerns.

“We were all set to obstruct the House today, but postponed it for until the next House meeting because our party President Sher Bahadur Deuba had to go Jumla within short notice today and then we decided to take the move in the presence of the party leader and give the government a chance till the next meeting,” Khatiwada said.

KC slammed the government saying it was politicising relief distribution and discriminating against victims on the basis of political ideology. Although the leader of the main opposition NC should be asked to participate in the policy level decision making process of the National Reconstruction Authority as per the concerned law, this provision has been ignored, KC said.

CPN-UML lawmaker Guru Prasad Burlakoti said that some real victims were missed from the list. He urged the government to incorporate those missing from the list, he said. CPN-M Centre’s Krishna Dhital said the number of fake victims was increasing in Gorkha, the main epicentre of last year’s earthquake.

He urged the government to make relief and reconstruction works effective.

NC lawmaker Nabindra Raj Joshi expressed ire against the government’s lack of response to the plight of quake victims.

Meanwhile, Speaker Onsari Gharti today provided political parties additional time to find consensus on the dispute over the Legislature Parliament Regulations.

“I have removed the proceedings of the regulations from today’s business list on the request of political parties to provide some additional time for the last time to forge consensus,” Speaker Gharti told today’s House meeting.

Gharti is planning to put the regulations to vote on June 19 if consensus cannot be forged by then, according to her press adviser Babin Sharma.

Ruling and opposition parties are divided over the strength of the Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee. The ruling parties are pleading for a 15-member PHSC while opposition parties, including the NC have demanded a 75-member panel until a new federal parliament is formed.

Meanwhile, Speaker Gharti today said that discussions on the Appropriation Bill would be held from June 20 to July 6.