KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 22
The main opposition party, CPN-UML, continued to obstruct proceedings of both the houses of the Parliament – the House of Representatives and the National Assembly - over alleged bias of Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota against it.
As soon as the speaker started proceedings, UML lawmakers swarmed the House well and began sloganeering. They have been protesting against Sapkota, saying that he discriminated against the UML by refusing to confirm the expulsion of 14 UML lawmakers of the faction led by Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhalanath Khanal. The rival faction split the UML and formed a new party CPN (Unified Socialist) in August.
Amidst UML protest in the HoR, the speaker allowed Minister of Communications and Information Technology Gyanendra Bahadur Karki to table a proposal seeking endorsement of Nepal Police and Provincial Police, Operation, Supervision, and Coordination (First Amendment) Ordinance.
The House passed the ordinance.
Following the UML protest, Sapkota adjourned the House till January 2. National Assembly Chair Ganesh Prasad Timilsina adjourned the Upper House until further notice.
Political parties condemned UML's prolonged obstruction of House proceedings saying that the UML's protest not only obstructed the passage of important bills, but also posed a threat to the constitution and democracy.
The Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal leader and former prime minister Baburam Bhattarai said the UML had expressed commitment to people's multi-party democracy and it had no valid reason to obstruct House proceedings.
He said the Parliament was the supreme body where sovereign representatives raised people's voice, but due to prolonged protest of the UML, people's representatives were deprived of the opportunity to raise their voice.
"UML lawmakers are protesting just because their party split. No national or international issues are involved in their protest," Bhattarai said.
He added that UML Chair KP Sharma Oli was still trying to make regressive moves.
He said UML's continued protest posed a threat to democracy and the new constitution.
CPN (Unified Socialist) leader Jhalanath Khanal said the UML was protesting because it had lost power and lacked intellect as well as dignity.
"The Parliament is the body to enact new laws and policies.
How can the country move ahead if the Parliament is obstructed for such a long time?" he wondered.
Nepali Congress leader and Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Dilendra Prasad Badu said issue raised by the UML was sub judice and the UML should realise that.
He hoped that the UML would end its obstruction and allow the winter session of the Parliament to pass important bills.
A version of this article appears in the print on December 23, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
