KATHMANDU, June 23 – With the 20th Session of parliament drawing nearer, the opposition parties are gearing up to go on the offensive which is likely to repeat the fate of the last session that remained stalled for all the 57 days it tried to conduct business.
This time, however, opposition parties have hinted that though the session might conduct formal business for a few days, it might once again revolve around the call for resignation of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala over his alleged involvement in the infamous Lauda Air deal.
Furthermore, the opposition are now saying that the fate of the coming session now lies on the hands of the government.
“The 20th session is beginning right from where the 19th session had ended…Plus, we have shown enough patience already with the recent turn of events,” said K. P. Sharma Oli, Communist Party of Nepal (UML) standing committee member who is also considered the second most powerful leader within the main opposition.
Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, who is also the Minister for Royal Palace Affairs, is also expected to come under fire for the Narayanhiti Palace massacre on June 1 that took the lives of late King Birendra and nine others. Moreover, the opposition parties have also strongly criticized the government for Pubic Security Regulations, 2001 and the arrest of journalists.
“We have been keeping aside our demand for PM Koirala’s resignation just because situations weren’t right (due to national mourning),” Oli said. “Now that even the CIAA has blamed PM Koirala for corruption, there is no other option apart from his resignation now.”
Likewise, at an interaction program in the Capital today, leaders from the oppositions CPN-UML, Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP) said that “they have agreed to move together ahead, reiterating their demand for PM Koirala’s resignation.”
“The justification for demand for PM Koirala’s resignation has already been further proved…We are moving ahead with it in the coming session too,” said Subash Nembwang, CPN-UML central committee member, who is also the chairman of the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee.
“PM Koirala has to be answerable on whether he wants the session to conduct business or not,” he added.
Buddhiman Tamang, RPP central committee member, warned that the parliament would be stalled again if the government didn’t concede the opposition demand.
Likewise, Badri Prasad Mandal of NSP accused the government of being “involved in conspiracy” rather than looking for ways to agree upon the opposition demand.
“…If the government involves itself on making the parliament look foolish and lower its prestige then we’ll also resort to stalling the coming session,” he said.