KATHMANDU: A meeting of the Industry, Commerce, Labour, and Consumer Interest Committee turned heated on Friday as lawmakers clashed over the ongoing visit visa scandal.

Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) MP Ganesh Parajuli accused state bodies of collusion in trafficking Nepalis abroad under visit visas and demanded a parliamentary probe. He criticized fellow lawmakers for staying silent due to party pressure and called for the presence of the Home and Labour Ministers.

Ruling party lawmakers strongly objected. Nepali Congress MP Raju Thapa argued the issue is already under CIAA investigation and not within the committee’s scope. He also demanded the removal of Parajuli’s remark calling MPs “helpless” from the official record.

CPN (Unified Socialist) MP Krishna Kumar Shrestha also reacted sharply, questioning if the RSP had a monopoly on anti-trafficking efforts.

Committee Chair Abdul Khan tried to calm tensions and proposed forming a separate committee to probe the controversy, which Parajuli opposed, demanding focus remain on the visa scandal.

The meeting ended without resolution as political disagreements over the human trafficking issue persisted.