The Speaker assigned the Privileges Committee to investigate after 18 women, led by women, raised slogans in the parliament's auditorium demanding equal rights for women.
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On 3 Bhadra 2055, the House of Representatives was in session. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Omkar Shrestha was speaking in the session. Suddenly, slogans started being raised from both sides of the auditorium. 'Pass the Women's Share Bill, we need a share, we need...'
This was the first incident in Nepal's parliamentary history where slogans were raised in the parliament's auditorium. The dignity guard caught the slogan-makers and took them out. More than 50 women had raised similar slogans in front of the former Ministry of Water Resources in Singha Durbar at the same time. The slogans were raised by women affiliated with the left group.
Inside the assembly, 18 women, led by All Nepal Women's Association President Shashi Shrestha, raised slogans. Outside the assembly, the general secretary of the association, Sarita Maharjan, led the assembly. In the assembly, spectators are prohibited from making any kind of statement except to listen silently or watch the activities. But the incident that day seemed to have been planned.
After the women sitting on both sides of the parliament's auditorium raised slogans, questions were raised about security and the dignity of the parliament. How did those women reach the parliament's meeting hall? Who gave them entry passes? The question was raised about how the security and dignity of the parliament would be maintained if such a situation existed. 55 women were arrested from outside the parliament in the incident. They said that they had come to protest on behalf of a women's pressure group. They had shouted slogans from the audience that women must be given equal shares as men. Such activities took place as a pressure when the Muluki Ain Bill on giving women equal shares as men was under consideration in the parliamentary committee.
It was revealed that independent MPs affiliated with the Left group had provided them with passes and allowed them into the meeting of the House of Representatives. Independent MPs had provided them with passes to watch the proceedings of the parliament. Some of the passes were obtained by independent MPs after being obtained from UML MPs. The same pass was provided to women attending the parliament session. After the slogans were raised, Congress MPs said in the meeting that the passes were misused.
UML and ML blamed each other. Speaker Ramchandra Poudel had ruled that an investigation would be conducted into the abnormal activities seen in the house. Speaker Poudel had said that it was not appropriate to seek rights by insulting the parliament. He had ruled that action would be taken against the slogan-raising by completing the process as per the constitution and law. The day after the incident, a meeting of political party whips and chief whips decided to entrust the Privileges Committee with the responsibility of investigating and submitting a report. The meeting had deemed the issue of slogan-raising as being against parliamentary decorum.
The MPs had agreed to investigate the issue of providing passes as this was the first incident of non-MPs raising slogans in the audience hall of the House of Representatives. Women were found to have entered using the passes of Congress and UML MPs. UML MPs had expressed anger at ML, saying that a premeditated conspiracy had been made to provide passes of Congress and UML MPs to women. ![[Archive] After a non-MP woman shouted slogans from the audience in the House of Representatives...](https://assets-cdn.ekantipur.com/uploads/source/news/kantipur/2026/miscellaneous/page1kpr-2055-bhadra-4-1672026124518-1000x0.jpg)
ML MPs, on the other hand, argued that since they were 40 in number, they should find a farmer to raise slogans. ML party was formed by splitting from UML. Therefore, 'ego' and mutual anger also played a role in UML and ML MPs. UML leaders seemed more angry with ML MPs for splitting the party. ML Chief Whip Tanka Rai had said that his party had no involvement in the incident. But anger was visible between UML and ML MPs. Despite breaking the rules while speaking in previous meetings, 'face to face' was not found to be aggressive. This was the first time such a situation had occurred.
Speaker Poudel, however, calmed the anger by urging people not to argue in the House, saying that the Privileges Committee would resolve the issue of passes. UML MPs had alleged that the passes were given to former MP Lilamani Pokharel, but that other passes were given to women by Male. Shashi, who led the sloganeering in the House of Representatives, is the wife of the former MP. UML MP Dhruv Lamsal had said that although there was a tradition of exchanging passes among MPs, this tradition has now come under threat.
Congress MP Bal Bahadur KC had said that the security system of the Parliament was weak due to misuse of passes. Privileges Committee Coordinator and Congress MP Bhim Bahadur Tamang had said that the people's nose was a naked dance of unparliamentary behavior on the Parliament. He had opined that everyone should unite to prevent the Parliament, the heritage of democracy, from being tarnished. The incident had made the MPs afraid to distribute their passes.
Kantipur published a news report on the issue of non-MP women shouting slogans from the audience in the Parliament session under the title ‘Slogans in the House of Representatives: Ruling by the Speaker for an investigation’ on 4 Bhadra 2055. It was also published on 5 Bhadra under the title ‘Investigation of non-MP slogans in the House of Representatives, the responsibility of the Privileges Committee’. -Presentation: Rishiram Paudyal
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