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Kathmandu,Thursday April 06, 2000 Chaitra 24, 2056.
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Session closed amid uproar
By Binaj Gurubacharya
KATHMANDU, April 5 - Amid chaos, sloganeering and protests
from the main opposition CPN-UML, Speaker Taranath Ranabhat today prorogued the 17th
session of parliament.
CPN-UML lawmakers who for the past one week have been
demanding resignation of a state minister over his alleged involvement in abduction of a
CPN-UML worker, today continued their protests and at the end gheraoed the Speaker.
Though much was listed in today’s business that included
some important Bills, they were all cancelled due to the protests by the opposition
parliamentarians.
After nearly three hours of protests and discussions, CPN-UML
members finally opted to gherao the Speaker. After five minutes of slogans and stomping on
the desk by one senior CPN-UML lawmaker, Speaker Ranabhat announced the Session was over.
"I am not happy with this Session. I had to end the
session since not much progress was being made in resolving the deadlock," Speaker
Ranabhat told reporters. "Incidence like today would send a negative message to the
masses."
Listed on today’s business was voting on the Bill
brought to make sixth amendment on the Nepal Citizenship Act. The Bill had already been
discussed at the parliamentary State Affairs Committee.
Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, who is also the defence
minister, was scheduled to present the Army Bill (fourth amendment) for approval of the
House.
Another loss was moving the Bill brought to manage and make
the political parties transparent to the parliamentary committee for discussion and
necessary changes.
Major loss was pushing three Bills related to the water
supply. PM Koirala, who also holds the Ministry of Housing and Physical Planning, was to
present the Drinking Water Supply Bill and Drinking Water Monitoring and Tariff Fixing
Commission Bill today and seek the approval of the House to move the Nepal Drinking Water
Supply Corporation (Second Amendment) Bill to the parliamentary committee.
Donors had set conditions that the Nepal Water Supply
Corporation, which is heavily overstaffed and mis-managed, should be privatized before
investing the US$ 400 million on the much awaited Melamchi Water Supply Project that is
proposed to bless Kathmandu with water as demanded by the increasing population.
With these Bills pushed to the next session the process would
now be delayed by at least another four months or more.
"We demand the government dismiss the state minister
immediately, arrest and punish the abductors and release all the students arrested this
morning," CPN-UML’s Subash Nebwang said.
Members of the Ruling Nepali Congress retaliated to the
opposition demand by saying dismissing a member of the cabinet was up to the prime
minister and not the opposition.
"There has been criminal activities in the case
including bombing and robbing of the state minister house and the abduction the next day.
The opposition should at least give time for the government to investigate and find the
facts before making the demand," NC Whip Tek Prasad Chokyal said.
Other smaller parties agreed for a probe into the case before
the demand for resignation.
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