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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.

The main opposition party Nepali Congress has called for forming a parliamentary committee to investigate the linking of Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Rabi Lamichhane in the cooperatives’ fraud.

Nepali Congress leader Sanjaya Kumar Gautam said, "This is also the issue of ethics. The government should be serious on this (the linking of DPM Lamichhane's name in the cooperative fraud). A parliamentary probe committee should be formed in this connection."

He contended that a doubt has arisen regarding how justice can be done on this topic based on the Prime Minister's replies in Parliament and the Police Chief's response on this topic in the parliamentary committee meeting.

Stating that the main opposition party Nepali Congress is well aware of the fact that the Parliament should not be held hostage over certain demands, he called upon the government also to be serious regarding its responsibilities.

Lawmaker Gautam demanded that the Parliament should also press the government for addressing the livelihood issues of the people. He reiterated that the main opposition party would continue raising this issue until the parliamentary investigation committee was formed.

"The then Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha had responded in the Parliament itself that an investigation was on in this connection. But now the investigation is stopped," he said, adding that appointing Lamichhane as the Home Minister is a conflict of interest.

Lawmakers draw govt's attention to address farmers' problems

Meanwhile, speaking in the Urgent Time in the meeting of the HoR today, lawmakers voiced various contemporary issues, including the increasing number of road accidents and the farmers facing a plethora of problems.

Lawmaker Hitraj Pandey expressed concern over the increasing number of road accidents in recent days and urged the government to take effective measures to reduce road fatalities, referring to the car accident that took place on Saturday near Muglin.

Eknath Dhakal also drew the government's attention on this topic while Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan urged the government to resolve problems faced by the citizens while accessing various public services. He also called on the government to provide relief to the farmers after assessing the damage caused by the windstorm and hailstone.

Lawmaker Ashok Kumar Chaudhary raised the issue of the maize cultivated by farmers in the Tarai districts producing cobs without grains due to the 'flawed' hybrid seeds. He demanded action against the dealers selling such seeds and providing compensation to the farmers.

Chaudhary stressed on the urgent need of taking steps to mitigate the impact of climate change on agriculture and the problem of wild animals consuming and damaging the crops.

Dr Amaresh Kumar Singh said a question has arisen regarding the adjudication of justice by the judiciary. He alleged that the judges were appointed on the power-sharing basis among the parties and the judges also gave verdicts in an unfair way.

He called for an investigation on the decisions of the judiciary and formed a parliamentary committee to assess the conduct of the judges. He also through the Parliament called attention of the judiciary to what he called 'the contamination' of the judiciary. Lawmaker Singh complained that only few of the complaints filed with the Judicial Council are investigated into.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Rabi Lamichhane has stressed that security agencies should act sternly to curb drug abuse and social offenses.

During his visit to the District Administration Office in Jhapa on Friday, he urged security bodies based in the district to demonstrate competence in their operations. He also wanted them to disregard any directives of unethical nature and not to consider the accused's political connection.

"Deliver in a way that assures changes to citizens," he urged.

Lamichhane also pledged accountability promotion during his term as the Home Minister.

Jhapa's Chief District Officer, Bandhu Prasad Bastola, briefed the Home Minister on the security situation in the district, highlighting the challenges and the efforts being made to address them.

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane has denied any involvement in the cooperative fraud.

Speaking at a meeting of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee of the Parliament today, DPM Lamichhane argued that although his name is linked to the cooperative fraud, no evidence could prove that.

"My name is allegedly linked to the cooperative fraud. There is nothing except my name. My signature is not there. I have not also given my thumb impression on any related document. I have also not received any letter. There is no case against me," he said, adding that there was no other evidence to prove his involvement in the scam. I am also not named as the defendant in the case filed in the court as well, he asserted.

Similarly, Inspector General of Police Basanta Kunwar said that although a complaint has been lodged with the police regarding the cheating of cooperatives, Deputy Prime Minister Lamichhane is not implicated in that complaint.

"There is no evidence in the complaint related to the cooperative swindling scam linking the Home Minister's name. Although the complaint has come in his name in a symbolic way, there is no evidence," IGP Kunwar said.

Lawmaker Dilendra Prasad Badu urged the meeting to clarify the matter as the DPM's name was linked to the cooperative swindling scam.

"A name called Rabi Lamichhane has been linked with the cooperative cheating case. This name matches with the name of our honorable Home Minister. Is it you? If yes, it calls for a fair investigation. If the investigation is to be made credible, it is better you keep yourself aloof from the post of Home Minister," Badu reiterated.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Rabi Lamichhane has said that the government is effortful to solve the problems surfaced in the cooperatives across the country.

Talking to journalists today, Minister Lamichhane said that the government has tried to solve the problems through dialogue with the cooperative victims. He said, "There has been an agreement between the government negotiation team and the cooperative victims. Agreement comes into effect soon.”

He said that the savings of the depositors will be returned even if by adjusting from the property of those who embezzled the cooperative's money.

The Home Minister said that the government has mobilized its full power to arrest G.B. Rai, who is absconding after misappropriating the cooperative's money.

Lamichhane expressed his belief that Rai will be arrested soon, saying that investigation and study conducted by the government should not be made public beforehand. He said that the results of the work done by the government will come in full swing.

"The government will do what the law says. The prime minister's directive is that the innocent should not be caught. That's how it works." Minister Lamichhane said that even if there are some complications in the process, we will work to get results.

Speaking in a different context, he said that the government will work for the presence of the state for the Chepang community, the deprived community living in Chitwan district. He said that he is going to work within the budget this year through discussions with experts and concerned representatives to address the issues of the marginalized Chepang community.  

Nepali Congress (NC) is demanding an investigation against Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Rabi Lamichhane for his alleged involvement in the misappropriation of cooperative funds. For the same reason, the main opposition party is pushing to form a probe panel, a move opposed by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli. Certainly, there are valid questions regarding Lamichhane’s involvement in the misuse of cooperative funds.

 However, the way the NC is acting after the formation of the new coalition is unusual. The party has just come out of a government that failed to deliver on service delivery and economic fronts. Home Minister Lamichhane has taken some positive steps, including implementing the report submitted by the committee formed to investigate gold smuggling. Similarly, he has pledged to minimize political influence in the Nepal Police and Armed Police Force. He should be allowed to work freely without pressure from parties. If he fails to fulfill his pledges, questions should be raised, but for some period, it would not be justifiable to obstruct him.

In a parliamentary system, the opposition party should allow the government to work for at least 100 days without obstructions. Obviously, the opposition party should work to hold the government accountable and raise people's concerns and plights, but that should be done constructively. Past experiences show that opposition parties often resort to obstructing Parliament to press the government to fulfill their demands. However, Parliament cannot engage in its key task of the law-making process if it is obstructed for a long time. As a grand old party and the largest in Parliament, the NC should not resort to obstructing Parliament. Instead, it should find innovative ways to raise its voices within Parliament.

The performance of parliament has been dismal over the past few years due to intra-party disputes. There is a long list of crucial bills in the Parliament Secretariat that have long awaited parliamentary endorsement. Some of them are very important and related to the party's international image and prestige, on which all parties should come together. The new coalition has come up with new commitments and visions, so the NC and other opposition parties should wait some time to see how the new government addresses the problems the country is facing today. The NC should think seriously about its role as an opposition party.

Nepali Congress has demanded formation of a parliamentary committee to investigate against Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane in the cooperative fraud.

Speaking at a meeting of the House of Representatives, lawmaker Ramhari Khatiwada accused the government of being scared of forming a parliamentary committee.

He objected that the government, which could not form a parliamentary committee, had mentioned in its Common Minimum Program of forming various commissions.

“We heard the Common Minimum Program of the government. It has been mentioned that various commissions will be formed. What kind of commission will the government form when it expresses its reluctance to form a parliamentary committee of cooperative fraud,” he questioned.

He claimed that the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led government has become unsuccessful in every sector.

CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has said that some forces were active in defaming Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane by demanding his resignation.

In a press meet organized by Press Chautari Kailali chapter in Dhangadhi, today, former Prime Minister Oli claimed that Lamichhane, who has no connection with the cooperatives, was being forcibly implicated to discredit him.

He insisted that Lamichhane had no connection with the cooperatives and that it would have no influence on the investigation. He also stated that victims of the cooperatives will get justice soon.

"If there is a complaint against any minister or parliamentarian, then there might arise a situation when all positions of minister and parliamentarians would be vacant," Oli said.

In another context, former PM Oli commented that one should not react irresponsibly regarding the merger of communist forces connecting that with the power sharing in government.

Chairman Oli, who arrived in Dhangadhi after inaugurating the 9th district convention of UML Dadeldhura committee on Monday, has returned to Kathmandu today.

The main opposition Nepali Congress has demanded formation of an investigation committee from within the Parliament itself for impartially looking into the charges of cooperative fraud leveled against Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane.

The Nepali Congress, in the Parliament, has been calling for the resignation of the Home Minister.

Responding to the allegations on Lamichhane in the meeting of the House of Representatives today, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal expressed the commitment to take action against him if the investigation proved Lamichhane as the culprit.

According to the PM, appointing Lamichhane as the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister would not constitute a conflict of interest when the investigation on the complaints filed by the victims of the Pokhara-based Surya Darshan Cooperatives has already been concluded.

The NC has expressed its reservation on the Prime Minister's argument that there was no adequate evidence and basis for removing Home Minister Lamichhane from his post.

In the meeting today, Nepali Congress Chief Whip Ramesh Lekhak contended that there is enough evidence that Home Minister Lamichhane is directly involved in the cooperative swindling case, claiming that loans have been found issued illegally by the cooperative in contravention of the provision in the Cooperative Act disallowing loans to the non-members.

"The Honorable Prime Minister said that there is not enough evidence, but we say there is. Let us create an environment for a fair investigation into this case. We call for the formation of an investigation committee in the Parliament itself to probe this case," the NC Chief Whip reiterated.

Referring to the instances in the past in which the government ministers have resigned from their post when questions were raised on their morality, Lekhak demanded that Home Minister Lamichhane too should resign on moral grounds and cooperate in the investigation.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has given clean chit to Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhhane in the cooperative issue.

Answering the queries of the lawmakers of opposition party regarding the appointment of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane as Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister despite allegations of misappropriation of cooperative funds at a meeting of the House of Representatives, the Prime Minister clarified, "Investigations thus far have not linked him to the cooperative's Board of Directors, account committee, or loan committee."

Furthermore, he has not been proven to be an employee of the cooperative or hold any institutional roles. Additionally, there are no ongoing legal proceedings against him, the PM said.

The Prime Minister informed the House that the documents showed a cooperative loan issued in Lamichhane's name has been repaid and the government has been briefed by the police that in Lamichhane's case, no further investigation is required.

Meanwhile, PM Dahal said that he will not compromise with anyone regarding the government's commitment to establishing and promoting good governance.

He further said that anyone found indulging in wrongdoings during an investigation will not be allowed to walk freely. 

"Nothing will prevent the government from taking action against any wrongdoings if proved during the investigation," he said.

The Prime Minister said that he leads the government with the resolution of promoting good governance and the government is investigating big scams of corruption, cases of gold smuggling and illegal grabbing of public land. "The government will scale up its moves against such illicit activities," he added.

The Nepal Students Union, the student wing of Nepali Congress, staged a demonstration demanding resignation of Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane.

Saying that Lamichhane, who was embroiled in the co-operative fraud, was appointed as the Home Minister, the NSU students staged a demonstration demanding that he be removed from the post at the earliest.

The Congress has been protesting in the House and the sister organization on the streets against Lamichhane, who was accused of co-operative fraud.

Nepali Congress has demanded resignation of Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane.

Speaking at the Parliament meeting today, lawmaker Pradeep Paudel said that Lamichhane should resign on moral grounds as questions have been raised against him.

“He should not have been the Home Minister with questions on him. The Prime Minister should not have appointed a person with questions as the Home Minister. People have been cheated in 31, 000 cooperatives. How can the victims’ problems be solved when the person under investigation is appointed as the head of the investigation department,” he questioned.

Saying that the Congress has been constantly raising questions in the Parliament, he alleged that the Prime Minister has been ignoring to answer them.

“Instead of facing the questions raised by the Congress for the past few days, he has been running away from them. The Prime Minister's double standard has been seen on this issue,” he said.

Leader Paudel said that the Congress will keep on raising questions until the Prime Minister gives satisfactory answers on the questions raised against the Home Minister.

Home Minister Lamichhane is accused of misappropriating the deposits of a cooperative.

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane submitted a report of the probe commission on gold smuggling to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Friday.

Lamichhane reached Baluwatar this morning to submit the report to Prime Minister Dahal.

Probe commission Chairman Dilliram Acharya had submitted the report to Home Minister Lamichhane on Thursday.

Receiving the report, Home Minister Lamichhane said that stern action will be taken against those found guilty in the gold smuggling case.

The government in September had formed a probe commission to investigate the 60 kg gold smuggled from Hong Kong and the gold brought from Dubai by hiding in the electric cigarette ‘vape’.

The commission investigated the cases for almost five months.

Acharya said that a report of 485 pages has been prepared in 13 chapters.

The commission conducted field inspections of seven different customs checkpoints including Tribhuvan International Airport and Rasuwagadhi.

In the report, the commission has proposed the government to amend the existing laws to curb the gold smuggling and recommended various ways to improve the weaknesses seen in the investigation and prosecution of gold smuggling cases in the past.

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane has vowed full implementation of the agreement the government made with usury victims.

A four-point agreement was reached between the two sides. One among the agreement points is the formation of a probe commission.

Reaching the talks venue, DPM Lamichhane said the government was aware about the plights and rights of usury victims. Although the situation turned otherwise, the government was together with the victims for their rights, he reminded.

He, however, said the agreement was a beginning, so the struggle for rights could not stop here. The DPM also apologized to the victims of loan-shark, saying the long struggle took a toll on them.

According to him, the probe commission would furnish suggestions to the government, which would be a base for further action.

Moreover, the DPM shared that Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal was informed about the agreement. "Now the government shoulders the responsibility to enforce the agreement," he said.

Lamichhane, however, sought some days with the victims of extortionate money lending for enforcement of the pact. He also urged them to continue close watch.

As per agreement, a request will also be made to the Ministry of Finance to make necessary arrangements in the upcoming budget for financial aid, relief and compensation to the underprivileged class so that they do not fall victims to usury.

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane has directed police personnel to deliver in a way that each citizen could feel safe and secured.

Following his inspection to the Nepal Police Headquarters today, the Home Minister directed them to sue anyone in any incident on the basis of evidence, instead of the command from anywhere.

He asserted that investigation into any incident should be result-oriented and law should be applied to all equally. 

On the occasion, he also laid a wreath on the Police Martyrs Memorial inside the Nepal Police Headquarters.

The Deputy Prime Minister also visited a museum based in the Nepal Police Headquarters.

He also acknowledged the roles of former and incumbent police personnel who contributed to the building the police institution and promoting its image.

Urging police employees to fulfill the given responsibilities by abiding by law, he urged the institution to ensure career enhancement opportunities for its staff.

He highlighted the need of seeking help from technology and producing a skilled workforce to address crimes assisted by the technology.

He also instructed the police administration to address cases affecting women, children, aged citizens and the people with disabilities with special priority to ensure prompt justice to them.

Acknowledging the issues relating to usury and mismanagement of cooperatives as a grave challenge, the Home Minister urged the police administration to focus on controlling economic crime, fraud, cyber-crime and drugs smuggling.

Inspector General of Police, Basanta Kunwar, said the Nepal Police is committed to implementing the Home Minister's direction.