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A discussion among the Nepali Congress lawmakers is underway after the postponement of the meeting of the House of Representatives.

The main opposition Nepali Congress has taken a stance that it would not allow the House of function until a parliamentary committee is formed to probe fraud charges against Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane.

Home Minister Lamichhane has not been able to speak about the allegations leveled against him by the Congress in the Parliament.

During a Parliamentary Party meeting held on Wednesday, CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli had said that his party would retaliate if the Nepali Congress obstructed the Parliament meeting.

Congress has adopted flexibility to allow Lamichhane to speak after Oli warned that the UML would speak if Lamichhane is not allowed to speak in today’s Parliament meeting.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal this morning held a meeting with the leaders of ruling coalition and the main opposition Congress to discuss the House deadlock and forming a parliamentary probe committee.

NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba has become flexible after Prime Minister Dahal urged him to allow Home Minister Lamichhane to speak in the Parliament and form the parliamentary committee later, Congress Chief Whip Ramesh Lekhak said.

“The meeting of the Congress lawmakers is underway. I am also going. Prime Minister Dahal had urged the party President Deuba to allow Home Minister Lamichhane to speak in the Parliament and form the parliamentary probe committee later,” he said, adding, “President Sher Bahadur Deuba is also positive on the same. A meeting is underway to take opinion from other friends on the issue.”

They have demanded that the Congress should also be allowed to speak after Lamichhane expressed his views.

A Parliament meeting scheduled for 11 am has been postponed for 4 pm today.

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane said that he should be allowed to speak in the Parliament about the allegations leveled against him by the main opposition Nepali Congress.

He held a discussion with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli on this issue in Singha Durbar this afternoon.

Saying that all have the rights to speak in democracy, Lamichhane said that he should be allowed to clarify about the allegations leveled against him in the Parliament.

The Home Minister said that he would respect the rights of the Congress to protest if it is not satisfied with his answers.

Lamichhane said that he has no other demand than to allow him to speak in the Parliament.

The Congress has been obstructing the Parliament demanding formation of a parliamentary probe committee to investigate fraud charges against Lamichhane.

The main opposition Nepali Congress said that Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is positive on forming a parliamentary committee on cooperative scam.

After a meeting between Prime Minister Dahal and Congress leaders today, Chief Whip Ramesh Lekhak said that the Prime Minister is positive on forming a probe committee for investigation into Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane over his alleged involvement in the misuse of cooperative funds.

During the meeting, they reiterated their demand of forming a parliamentary probe committee.

“We have been raising the issue of cooperative fraud in the Parliament. We have said that a parliamentary probe committee should be formed. The Prime Minister has taken the issue in a positive way,” he said.

Lekhak said that they would ahead as per the decisions of the Parliamentary Party committee meeting to be held on Monday.

The main opposition Nepali Congress said that a parliamentary probe committee to investigate cooperative fraud charges against Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane is its bottom line.

A Parliamentary Party meeting held on Friday made a conclusion that the party would not allow the House to function until the demand of forming a parliamentary probe committee to investigate Lamichhane is addressed, Congress Chief Whip Ramesh Lekhak said.

He said that the government will be held responsible if the Parliamentary meeting is obstructed.

“The bottom line of the Congress is to form a parliamentary probe committee to investigate Rabi Lamichhane. The government has been ignoring the demand of the main opposition. The government itself will be responsible if the Parliament meeting is obstructed,” he said to mediapersons after the meeting.

He said that more evidence has emerged to confirm Lamichhane’s involvement in the cooperative fraud case.

The Congress said that the government mechanism has been misused to protect Lamichhane.

The main opposition Nepali Congress has decided to allow Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane to speak in the Parliament meeting.

A Parliamentary Party meeting of the Congress held on Thursday decided to allow Lamichhane along with other senior leaders to speak in the Parliament, a lawmaker, who attended the meeting, said.

He said that the meeting has decided to let Lamichhane to speak in the Parliament in the capacity of the President of Rastriya Swatantra Party.

The Congress has been demanding the formation of a parliamentary probe committee to investigate Lamichhane’s alleged involvement in the fraud involving millions of rupees.

The NC had not allowed Lamichhane to take to the rostrum in the previous session of the Parliament.

After the main opposition did not allow him to take to the rostrum, Lamichhane has been saying that he be allowed to speak in the Parliament.

The Congress has been saying it would not allow the House to proceed with its business until the parliamentary probe committee is formed.

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane has said that he has already spoken with the Malaysian Home Minister to arrest GB Rai, who was involved in the cooperative fraud case.

Speaking to journalists at Singha Durbar on Tuesday, Lamichhane said that he has already held a discussion with the Malaysian Home Minister to detain GB Rai.

Though there are some legal hurdles to bring Rai back to Nepal, Lamichhane, who is also the President of Rastriya Swatantra Party, said that he has discussed the issue with the political leaders in Malaysia.

Home Minister Lamichhane said that he is also searching for the persons who helped Rai flee the country.

Nepali Congress Chief Whip Ramesh Lekhak said that consensus, cooperation and dialogue will be necessary to protect the country from instability and to strengthen the federal democratic republic.

In a press conference organized by the Nepal Press Union Kanchanpur chapter in Mahendranagar today, he noted that there is dissatisfaction within the CPN-UML in the current government and expressed his own doubts about the present ruling power equation.

"There is a strong opinion within the Nepali Congress and UML that big parties should form the government together," he said, adding that people are also of the opinion that big parties should take the country in the right direction. However, there is no concrete progress about power sharing between Congress and UML, he said.

Even if it is not for running the government, cooperation and discussion between major parties is necessary for leading the country towards stability, to protect the constitution and to strengthen democracy, he said.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'himself has expressed a positive opinion about investigation into cooperative sectors and said that the Congress is also positive about it.

NC leader Lekhak said that the Congress will always stand firm in its stance of forming a parliamentary probe committee to investigate fraud charges against Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane.

"We have not demanded resignation, but investigation,” he said, adding “He is confident that the matter will be addressed before the Parliament meeting scheduled for May 10.”

Prime Minister and CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and Rastriya Swatantra Party President and Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane held an intensive discussion on Saturday.

During the meeting that lasted around three hours, the three leaders discussed contemporary political issues and budget sessions, a Baluwatar source said.

President Ram Chandra Paudel on the recommendation of the government has called the meeting of both the houses of federal Parliament on Friday afternoon.

Earlier, the government had prorogued the winter session to prepare the budget.

Actually, the government had prorogued the Parliament session after the main opposition Nepali Congress obstructed the House proceedings demanding formation of a parliamentary probe committee to investigate fraud charges against Home Minister Lamichhane.

The Congress has said that it would not give up its stance of forming a parliamentary probe committee to investigate cooperative fraud charges against Minister Lamichhane.

The three leaders also discussed this issue in the meeting held last night.

As the cooperative fraud case is becoming complex day by day, the situation may also come to form the parliamentary probe committee as demanded by the Nepali Congress, Prime Minister Dahal said.

They have also reached a conclusion that the government should take an initiative to resolve the cooperative issues.

The government is preparing to bring a special plan to iron out the cooperative problems that have been becoming a serious problem across the country.

The leaders of the three political parties have agreed to inform the Parliament by forming a committee to investigate the irregularities in the cooperatives.

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Lamichhane has also agreed to form a parliamentary probe committee to investigate the cooperative scam, the Baluwatar source said.

Earlier, Home Minister Lamichhane had held a separate meeting with UML Chairman Oli.

Later, Oli and Prime Minister Dahal had discussed the cooperative issues in Baluwatar.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said discussions were underway at the political level to end the deadlock of the House of Representatives and it would be resolved soon.

Talking briefly to mediapersons at Biratnagar today, Prime Minister Dahal shared that the recent impasse would be resolved through political discussion.

He expressed the belief that problems could be resolved by studying the overall issue related to cooperatives and the topic concerning Rastriya Swatantra Party President and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane separately.

"Formation of a parliamentary probe committee has been demanded keeping Deputy Prime Minister Lamichhane at center, which cannot be addressed," the PM said.

Stating that the opposition parties have been making the problems seen in the cooperative sector as a political issue rather than solving it after the change in the political alliance, PM Dahal underlined, "Earlier, the Nepali Congress was with us in the government. The issue of cooperatives was minor for them at that time. After exiting from the government, formation of a parliamentary probe committee has been demanded keeping Rabi Lamichhane in the center. It is based on political prejudice."

He clarified that the efforts made to break the existing political equation would not be successful.

A meeting of the House of Representatives has been postponed by pasting a notice after the main opposition Nepali Congress refused to end obstruction in the House proceedings.

Earlier, the meeting was postponed for 15 minutes following the obstruction of the Nepali Congress.

The Congress has been demanding formation of a parliamentary probe committee to investigate cooperative fraud charges against Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Rabi Lamichhane.

The party has been taking a stand that it would not allow Home Minister Lamichhane to take to the rostrum until the demands are met.

According to the agenda of the House of Representatives meeting, Home Minister Lamichhane was presenting the amended bill to political parties today.

The meeting was postponed after the Nepali Congress lawmakers did not allow the home minister to go to the rostrum.

After the postponement of the meeting, Speaker Devraj Ghimire held a meeting with the Chief Whips of the major political parties.

The meeting has been postponed till 11 am tomorrow.

The main opposition Nepali Congress is to obstruct the Parliament meeting.

A meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party held this morning has decided not to allow the House to function if the parliamentary committee is not formed to probe cooperative fraud charges against Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Rabi Lamichhane, Chief Whip Ramesh Lekhak said.

He said that Home Minister Lamichhane was involved in misappropriating the cooperative funds.

Leader Lekhak was of the opinion that the Parliament cannot move ahead without forming a parliamentary probe committee.

He said that the government will be held responsible if the proceedings of the federal Parliament are obstructed.

Speaker Devraj Ghimire held a meeting with senior leaders of the four major political parties representing the Parliament on Monday.

The meeting, however, ended inconclusively after the main opposition Nepali Congress said that it would not backtrack from its stance of forming a parliamentary probe committee to investigate fraud charges against Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane.

The Congress has also been preparing to bar the home minister from taking the rostrum.

Home Minister Lamichhane is scheduled to present an amended bill on political parties on Tuesday.

That is why, Speaker Ghimire held a meeting with the four parties representing in the Parliament so that there would be no disruption in the meeting.

Congress Chief Whip Ramesh Lekhak clarified that they demanded the formation of a parliamentary probe committee as the savings of millions of Nepali nationals have been embezzled and there is an involvement of sitting ministers.

“We have allowed the House to function. We have not presented ourselves in an irresponsible way. But still the government has not become serious. Now, the government itself will be responsible if the proceedings of the federal Parliament are obstructed,” he said.

Meanwhile, CPN-UML Chief Whip Ramesh Bartaula said that the parliamentary probe committee will not be formed.

He said that it will set a wrong precedent  if the parliamentary committee is formed even in a minor issue.

Similarly, CPN (Maoist Center) Chief Whip Hitraj Pandey said that as Home Minister Lamichhane is scheduled to present a bill in the Parliament tomorrow, he will answer the questions raised against him at that time.

Likewise, Rastriya Swatantra Party said that the Congress has leveled baseless allegations against party President Lamichhane.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and Rastriya Swatantra Party Rabi Lamichhane were present in the meeting. Bishnu Paudel attended the meeting from the CPN-UML.

Similarly, chief whips and whips of four major political parties were also present in the meeting.

The main opposition Nepali Congress has decided not to allow Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane, who is suspected to be involved in the cooperatives scam, to address from rostrum.

An office bearers’ meeting of the party held in Budhanilkantha has decided to bar Home Minister Lamichhane from taking the rostrum as Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has answered on behalf of the government.

Congress Parliamentary Party Chief Whip Ramesh Lekhak said that the meeting has concluded that there is no alternative to forming a parliamentary committee to investigate cooperative fraud charges against Home Minister Lamichhane.

He said that they demanded the formation of a probe committee as the Prime Minister’s answers on cooperative scam were not satisfactory.

The Congress , the largest party in the lower house, has called a meeting of the parliamentary working committee and Parliamentary Party on Tuesday morning to decide on a new strategy after understanding the views of the ruling parties in the meeting called by the Speaker this afternoon.

According to the Speaker’s press advisor Shekhar Adhikari, the Speaker has called Prime Minister and CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Congress President and main opposition party leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and Home Minister and Rastriya Swatantra Party President Lamichhane in Singha Durbar at 2 pm today hold a discussion on contemporary political issues.

The Congress has continuously been raising questions against Lamichhane after the formation of a new equation and being appointed as the Home Minister.

The government has hinted that it would not form a parliamentary committee to probe fraud charges against Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane.

At a time when the main opposition Nepali Congress is giving an ultimatum to form the parliamentary probe committee, the government has said that it does not see that situation.

Minister for Communications and Information Technology and government spokesperson Rekha Sharma said that sufficient evidence has not been found against the home minister to prove him guilty in the cooperative scam.

“Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and the home minister themselves have expressed their views on the demand raised by the Nepali Congress, " she said.

The Congress has been obstructing the Parliament proceedings demanding formation of the parliamentary committee to probe charges against Home Minister Lamichhane for the past one month.

The party has been saying that it would not allow the House to proceed with its business until such a panel is formed.

The main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) has continued to advocate for forming a parliamentary committee to probe into issues about cooperative mismanagement. 

Taking time in a meeting of the House of Representatives today, party General Secretary Bishwa Prakash Sharma reiterated the party's voice for forming the parliamentary panel to investigate the alleged connection of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs in the cooperative fraud.

He utilized the forum to argue that the House is neither a venue for convicting anyone of any offense nor giving a clean chit on the charge. "Instead, the matter should be addressed through a due process."

Lawmaker Sharma also expressed concern over what he said the ruling party declaring the minister innocent from the House.

"The practice of declaring anyone guilty or innocent from a rostrum or a parliamentary floor is not good. If the Home Minister is not guilty, the right to be declared innocent by a parliamentary committee should be guaranteed." 

He presented three reasons clarifying the need to form a parliamentary body to address the matter. "It is due to the realization of a conflict of interest, suspension of an official investigation into the cooperatives, and the issue requiring to be addressed by the parliamentary procedures."

The NC lawmaker wanted the government to bring a proposal to form the committee in the next lower house session.

He warned that the party would take up the issue more seriously in the days ahead and it is committed to its stance (of forming a parliamentary probe committee).

The ultimatum to the government for proceeding ahead with the constitution of the committee has been over, he said, hinting about the party's preparations for further amplifying the programs of protests over the matter.

He said that there is a misunderstanding at the civic level that the parliamentary proceedings have been halted due to the NC obstruction.  On March 31, the Parliament held discussions on the agreement related to the International Solar Alliance (ISA). The following day, a proposal to seek considerations on the power trade bill was presented and on April 2, the House endorsed the BIMSETC Charter. He said he wanted to inform all Nepali citizens at home and abroad that the House continues its business.

Lawmaker Sharma said an atmosphere should be built for implementing a House calendar, making the House more systematic and accountable. Any matters that are at variance with the meeting agenda will be rejected by the party.

He also protested the presentations of issues in the rostrum sans an agreement in the Parliamentary Business Advisory and Consultative Committees. 

Speaker Devraj Ghimire said the Constitution incorporates the provisions allowing time for the Prime Minister or a Minister to put views in the Parliament if requested. It is our practice and tradition to grant time to the Prime Minister and Ministers to express views if demanded, he said.

The main opposition party, Nepali Congress, has reiterated its demand of forming a parliamentary committee for conducting a fair investigation into cooperative fraud, saying the name of Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane is linked to it.

The NC demanded that authority be given to such a committee to carry out investigation on cooperative fraud cases and bring out the truth. 

Speaker Devraj Ghimire allotted time to NC lawmaker Ram Krishna Yadav after all the NC lawmakers stood from their respective seats as a protest in today's meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR).

Speaking in the meeting, lawmaker Yadav pointed out the need of parliamentary probe into the cooperative fraud scam, citing that a crisis of trust has surfaced after the investigation on Lamichhane stopped with reconstitution of the government.

He said Home Minister Lamichhane should resign from the post based on ethics as he had taken a loan of Rs 800 million from a cooperative at a time when he was working at Gorkha Media Pvt Ltd and has still not cleared it.

Lawmaker Yadav also demanded investigation on Minister for Labor, Employment and Social Security, DP Aryal as he is also found involved in cooperative cases, clarifying his party would not obstruct the House on other issues except the issues connected with the Home Ministry and Cooperative. 

Urging the government to seriously pay attention on the issues raised by lawmakers in the House, he urged the government to raise hope among the people by ending impunity, and maintaining rule of law and good governance.

In response, Speaker Ghimire said his and the House's attention was drawn on the issues raised by lawmaker Yadav.