Upper House meeting: Lawmakers against making parliament prisoner of indecision

Despite the request of the ruling parties' lawmakers to allow the parliament to carry out its business by removing the obstruction, lawmakers of the main opposition party have stuck to their guns, saying the parliament cannot move ahead its business until their demand is met.

The ruling party lawmakers speaking in the meeting of the National Assembly, the Upper House of the Federal Parliament, today urged the main opposition party, the CPN (UML), to reach an agreement and remove the parliament deadlock. They contended that the drawn-out obstruction of the parliament has denied the sovereign parliament of discussing on matters of public concern and presenting several important legislations.

However, the opposition lawmakers argued that they have been raising the issue of carrying out works in favour of the citizen and good governance.

The ruling party lawmakers airing their views include Jaga Prasad Sharma of the CPN (Maoist Centre), Nepali Congress' Anita Devkota, CPN (Unified Socialist)'s Jayanti Devi Rai, Mohammad Khalid of the Janata Samajbadi Party and Tula Prasad Sharma of the Rastriya Janamorcha.

Lawmakers Khimlal Devkota and Bamdev Gautam also underscored the need of removing the parliament impasse as soon as possible and investigating the gold smuggling scam and other scams getting down to their root.

Similarly, UML lawmakers Kumar Dasaundi and Bimala Rai Poudyal drew the attention of the parliament and the government for forming a high-level probe committee to investigate into the gold smuggling scam.

Meanwhile, speaking in the urgent time in the National Assembly meeting, lawmakers Bimala Kumari Ghimire, Ramesh Jung Ryamajhi urged the government to take initiation for removing the parliament's impasse.

The main opposition party has been obstructing the parliament since three weeks, calling for the formation of a high-level investigation committee to probe into the gold smuggling scam.

Meeting obstructed without entering business

The main opposition party CPN (UML) continued its obstruction in the meeting of the National Assembly today also.

The UML obstructed the Assembly session from moving ahead its business after the lawmakers put their views on party basis in the beginning of the session.

National Assembly Chairman Ganesh Prasad Timilsina removed the agenda of the meeting as the Assembly could not take up the stipulated agenda for today.

The Upper House will next meet at 11.1 am on August 11.

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