As the row between the ruling and opposition parties over the constitution amendment bill deepens, Speaker Onasari Gharti has renewed her call to the major forces to resolve the issues in three days.
As the row between the ruling and opposition parties over the constitution amendment bill deepens, Speaker Onasari Gharti has renewed her call to the major forces to resolve the issues in three days.
She also warned that the Legislature-Parliament would enter into business if the parties failed to find a solution to the continued House obstruction by Sunday.
Gharti said after receiving a memorandum from the Reporters’ Club on Thursday that she had been waiting for the parties to reach an agreement. Stressing that Parliament has to function for effective implementation of the constitution, the Speaker said it cannot remain defunct for a long time.
The deadline from the Speaker comes as Parliament remains dysfunctional for about a month due to the protest of the opposition parties. Gharti said Prime Minister Puspha Kamal Dahal has assured her of resolving the deadlock in a couple of days.
“I have been urging the parties to intensity dialogue to end the impasse,” she said. Parliament would find a way out if the parties failed to reach a deal in the next three days. She, however, did not clarify her potential move.
According to parliamentary regulations, the House cannot function if lawmakers stand at their respective seats. If the Speaker wishes to carry forward the business amid obstruction, she has to use marshals, which seems unlikely given the number of lawmakers in the opposition.
A total of 201 lawmakers from nine parties have been obstructing the House since the government registered a bill on November 29 to amend the constitution. The meeting of Parliament was obstructed for the 12th time on Thursday. The next meeting of Parliament is scheduled for Monday.
The opposition alliance has been demanding that the amendment bill should be withdrawn. Several rounds of meeting among the ruling and opposition parties have failed to find a solution.
Due to the obstruction, the House is yet to complete theoretical discussion on the impeachment motion against suspended CIAA chief Lokman Singh Karki more than two months after the motion was registered. Three election-related bills have also been pending.
Binod Ghimire covers parliamentary affairs and human rights for The Kathmandu Post. Since joining the Post in 2010, he has reported primarily on social issues, focusing on education and transitional justice.
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