The Public Accounts Committee meeting of the Parliament has been stalled for four months. The last meeting of this committee, headed by the ruling UML MP Rishikesh Pokharel, was held on August 9. Chairman Pokharel has not called a meeting even though 95 complaints have reached the committee.

Ekram Giri, secretary of the committee, says that due to the increase in the number of complaints, there is a need for discussion. After the Parliament session was over, there was also a festival. Members went to the district. The local level by-elections were also held," he says, "but now there is no problem of quorum. That's why the meeting is being held soon. According to Amresh Kumar Singh, a member of the

committee, on Thursday, Chairman Pokharel asked the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority, the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police to investigate the Executive Director of the Electricity Authority. He was about to decide to send a letter to the department.

After Speaker Pokharel stood up after announcing the decision to send a letter for investigation on Ghising, the ruling Congress along with opposition Maoist and RSVP protested. After the dispute, the meeting was adjourned saying that another meeting would be called to discuss the matter of the authority.

MPs from the ruling party have started demanding to call a meeting. Yogesh Bhattarai, a member of the Audit Committee who is also the Secretary of the UML, says, "There is agreement on some issues or not, the decision is made in the committee according to the democratic method." The chairman's attention must have been drawn to the matter of calling the meeting, how can the meeting not be called?' 

Rajendra Kumar KC, a member of the Accounts Committee of the ruling Congress, said that there has been a demand to call a meeting. "The Congress will raise its voice about the delay in holding the committee meeting, if necessary, it will demand to hold the meeting," he said.

Opposition Maoist MP Amanlal Modi alleged that Speaker Pokharel did not call the meeting on the orders of the government. The chairman of the audit committee is working as a shadow of power. Questions of corruption are being raised on various government jobs. These issues of public importance should be taken up in the Accounts Committee," said Modi. "The Chairman of the Accounts Committee belongs to the party that is leading the government. He wants the committee members not to raise corruption and wrongdoings of the government.

President Pokharel said that it is natural to demand a meeting and to oppose him. He said that even if the meeting was not held, the sub-committee was working for the main task. In the meantime, Dasain, Tihar, Chhath happened a lot. As all MPs are in the constituencies, it was not possible for even 7 people to be present," Pokharel said.

committee chairman Pokharel Bhadauita rarely comes to the working room, he said. Pokharel has mostly been living in Morang, his home district. Currently, he is still in Morang. 

'Since the purpose of the meeting on August 9 was not fulfilled, Chairman Pokharel's presence in Kathmandu is low,' a member of the committee said, 'The responsibility of maintaining economic governance and financial discipline is the responsibility of the Accounts Committee, but because it belongs to the party leading the government, he must not have shown interest in calling the meeting.

Former Secretary of Parliament Som Bahadur Thapa, who worked as a secretary in the Public Accounts Committee for a long time, said that it was a tragedy for the parliamentary system that the Audit Committee did not meet for 4 months.

is a very important audit committee in the regulatory body over the government. It is sad that the meeting could not be held for such a long time,'' he said. That is the reason why the question is being raised about the Public Accounts Committee. Referring to the

comment, Thapa said, "It is not good for the chairman and members of the accounting committee to get into a dispute. Accounts should be monitored with fairness, honesty and accountability. When the committee is inactive, the loss to the country is not calculated.''

In response to the question that the committee was not active, Pokharel expressed his anger. He said, "Should I have accepted the offer of a smuggler and dishonest person to be active in the committee?" What should have been done? To work for the country or to work for the dishonest? Let's see if it has worked for the country or not, investigate it.

RSVP MP Hari Dhakal said that the audit committee has been made a helper of the government. "As soon as the party goes to government, the chairman of the audit committee should be given to the opposition, but that is not ethical," he said. Dhakal informed that in the meeting on August 9, all the MPs asked to instruct the Electricity Authority to collect the arrears of dedicated feeder and trunk line, but Speaker Pokharel said that he should write a decision to take action against Ghising.

Even though there was parliamentary approval to give the chairmanship of the audit committee to the opposition party, it was not followed in the past. For that reason, Pokharel has been insisting that he will not leave the position given to him by the party. I am not the president, the party is the president. I am the representative of the party. Let's not talk about individuals, let's talk about organizations. It is not appropriate to create confusion among the general public by talking about individuals," he said.

Congress MP KC said that giving the Public Accounts Committee chairmanship to the opposition will guarantee good governance. This year, there was no election for the chairman of the committee, but a division of the party. Power and opposition are not mentioned. In the past, he has been the chairman of the accounts of the ruling party many times. But good governance can be guaranteed when the chairman of the audit committee is from the opposition party," he said. Maoist MP Modi said that a mistake was made in the past by not giving the chairman of the audit committee to the opposition and that the same mistake is being repeated now.