Kathmandu: Nepali Congress General Secretary and newly elected MP Gagan Kumar Thapa has said that the government should withdraw the ordinance passed by the Council of Ministers for the release of prisoners who are facing gross criminal offences. He said that the government has taken a wrong decision and the party cannot bear its weight.
The meeting of the Council of Ministers on Sunday passed an ordinance calling for the release of those sentenced to imprisonment by the court for their involvement in heinous crimes. The ordinance has tried to release Resham Chaudhary, including members from CK Raut’s Janamat Party and Netra Bikram Chand’s CPN. The ordinance is yet to be issued by the President Bidya Devi Bhandari.
Supporting the criticism made by General Secretary Bishwa Prakash Sharma against the ordinance, Gagan Thapa clarified that the party cannot support the ordinance. “The opinion held by Bishwa Prakash about the subject and process of the decision to bring the government’s ordinance is 100 percent correct. This is not only my or Bishwa Prakash Sharma’s opinion, but also the Nepali Congress Party’s opinion,” said Thapa. “Now there has been no discussion about this ordinance within the party, nor has any decision been made. Therefore, the stance of the party in the past remains the same today. Therefore, the party cannot bear the weight of this wrong decision made by the government.”
According to Thapa, the ordinance is legally, politically and morally wrong. He has given further reasons why the ordinance is wrong, “It is unconstitutional, undemocratic and contrary to the spirit of the parliamentary system. The current government is temporary, it cannot take far-reaching decisions. This government does not have the legal and constitutional status to bring an ordinance. Its subject and intention are wrong.”
“The government cannot withdraw the case pending in the court. Considering that this is a political issue, the new parliament can make a law and take the process forward,” he said.
Most of the civil society members have also raised voice against the ordinance. It’s also wrong to grant amnesty to people in jain on the charges of heinous crimes, and blatantly wrong to garner support from these people to form the next government.
