Kathmandu, April 23:

Lawmakers of Tarai political parties today disrupted the session of interim parliament despite the efforts of Speaker Subas Nembang to conduct the proceedings smoothly.

The House began almost two hours late at 4.50 pm though it was supposed to begin at 3 pm. Immediately after the Speaker began the session, Madhes MPs gheraoed the rostrum shouting slogans for more than five minutes and the Speaker had to adjourn the session till Wednesday.

When the Maoist MPs were planning to gherao the rostrum the Madhesi MPs went to the rostrum and started shouting. Today was the third day that the House proceedings were disrupted due to the protest of the MPs. Speaker began the House proceedings after consulting the Maoist leaders and the Madhesi MPs but could not generate consensus to conduct the House business. Madhesi MPs soon began shouting slogans demanding to declare the persons killed during Tarai movement as martyrs, seeking compensation for the victims’ families and demanding the scrapping of the report of the Election Constituency Delimitation Commission. They also sought the formation of a judicial investigation commission to probe the loss of life and wealth in the Tarai movement that claimed the lives of over 40 persons.

Speaker often urged the MPs to take their seats and help smooth conduct of the parliamentary proceeding but the MPs continued their protest. Lawmakers of the NC, NC-D, RPP and Nepal Sadbhawana Party, elected or nominated from the Tarai, gathered in front of Speaker and shouted slogans. RPP chairman Pashupati SJB Rana told reporters, “Our support goes to the Tarai MPs as the government had discriminated against them.”