Kathmandu: The main opposition party has obstructed today’s meeting of the House of Representatives, saying the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) showed discriminatory behavior in Lalita Niwas Land Grab scandal.
The anti-graft constitutional body CIAA on Wednesday filed corruption case at the Special Court against 175 people including former Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy-leader of the NC Parliamentary Party, Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar, indicting them in the Lalita Niwas land scandal.
The meeting was postponed without entering into the agenda due to obstruction of the lawmakers of the main opposition party.
Demanding time from the Speaker in the beginning of the meeting, Nepali Congress whip Pushpa Bhusal objected corruption case was filed against some ministers and secretaries but some political and administrative leaders have been given a clean chit.
She said, “The state is trying to keep all bodies under its influence and control. Wednesday’s move of the CIAA is its example. The constitutional bodies should not keep political vendetta under political influence. Have we brought the democracy and inclusive constitution for this?”
All the lawmakers of the NC stood from their seats as a protest after lawmaker Bhusal informed that today’s house business could not move ahead in the protest of ‘discrimination on Lalita Niwas scandal’.
Saying the bodies concerned might have paid attention towards the view of the NC, Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota postponed the meeting after NC lawmakers continued their protest despite Sapkota’s frequent request to run the house proceedings.
The next meeting has been scheduled on February 7.
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CIAA move good to good governance: Bidari
Upper House lawmaker Ram Narayan Bidari has said that the taking action against the corruption cases was good but objecting such action was wrong.
Speaking in the special hour of today’s meeting of the National Assembly, Bidari said the incumbent government was taking serious move to eliminate the corruption cases which was positive for good governance.
He added that the CIAA has filed the case against high profiles including former DPM, secretary, judges among others in Lalita Residence Land Grab scam that shows impartial move.
On the other hand, lawmaker Badri Pandey of the Nepali Congress said that the CIAA’s move against the Lalita Residence Land Purchase case was unilateral and discriminatory as it was targeted to opposition party only.
Lawmaker Jeevan Budha, Kali Bahadur Malla, Ram Lakhan Chamar, Ram Prit Paswan and Udayadevi Sharma had drawn the attention of the government on contemporary issues. —
