On Falgun 10th, in Kathmandu, Speaker Devraj Ghimire directed the government to respond to questions raised by parliamentarians regarding the Balukumari incident.
On February 13th, after the investigation commission found former Minister of Physical Infrastructure Prakash Jwala guilty in the Balukumari incident, opposition parties demanded resignations during a meeting on Falgun 6th. On that day, Prime Minister Pushpakamal Dahal Prachanda stated that after understanding the report, further action would be taken.
However, as of now, no ministers have resigned, leading to further questioning by opposition parties. During Thursday's parliamentary session, special time was allocated, during which Member of Parliament Raghujee Pant of the CPN-UML raised the issue and demanded a statement from the minister regarding misuse of power in the Balukumari incident investigation commission for the first time. "Does the minister who has made a statement in the commission remain in the cabinet? If there is morality, the Prime Minister should respond," he said.
Health Minister Mohan Bahadur Basnet also expressed his intention to resign along with former Physical Infrastructure Minister Prakash Jwala. Deputy leader of the National Independent Party (Rasuwapa) parliamentary party, Viraj Bhakt Shrestha, questioned what the report on the Balukumari incident contained. When asked how long it would take to read the report, he said, "If the opposition is ignored, it can also lead to a blockade in Parliament, and even protests."
RPP Chief Sachetan Jyan Bahadur Shahi also raised questions about the Balukumari incident.
After that, the Speaker initiated a zero-hour session. However, MPs from three parties, CPN-UML, Rasuwapa, and RPP, protested. They remained in their places, stating that the government should respond to the issues raised. Despite repeated requests, when the opposition continued the blockade, the Speaker directed the government to respond to the questions raised by the MPs at unexpected and special times.
The parliamentary proceedings have been regularized with the Speaker's direction.
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politics