The opposition parties have blocked the parliament meeting demanding that Home Minister Ramesh Akhtar should resign in order to create an environment where human trafficking can be investigated under the guise of visit visas. The Abuse of Authority Investigation Commission is investigating the visit visa case. The opposition party has also demanded a high-level investigation in this case.
Joint Secretary Tirtharaj Bhattarai, who was embroiled in the visit visa case, was chosen by the Home Minister to be the Chief Immigration Officer of Tribhuvan International Airport, and the opposition parties have demanded the resignation of the writer, alleging that the Home Minister's secretariat was linked to gangs. The MPs of the ruling party have argued that there is no need for the minister to resign if the investigation is started on the employee.
As soon as the House of Representatives meeting started at 11 am on Tuesday morning, the MPs of Maoist, RASWP, RPPA and United Socialist Party stood up and protested. After that, the main opposition Maoist MP Varshman Pun, who got time to speak, suggested the writer to resign, mentioning that the information showing the direct involvement of the Home Minister's Secretariat in the illegal extortion of crores in the name of visit visa is being made public.
This is not an ordinary corruption case, it is a matter related to organized human traffickers and young people who want to work abroad. It has been reported that 40 percent of the people who go on a visit visa are charged money and this is not possible without political protection, he said.
Neta Pun also asked the reason why Home Minister writer sent Joint Secretary Tirtha Bhattarai, who was already involved in irregularities, to the base known as 'Maldar'. Did the minister really think that the joint secretary was competent and clean, or did he have other interests? This is the subject of investigation, he said.
Reminiscing the questions raised by the writer on the ministers in the past as the chief whip of the Congress when he was on the opposition bench, Pun said, 'Akhtiar has raided. The authority is saying that the arrested person is normal, he is a small fish, who is the big fish? The investigating agency is under the Home Minister. The Home Minister should resign and pave the way for the investigation. The regular process of the Parliament cannot proceed until an environment of fair investigation is created.
RSVP MP Shishir Khanal also quoted the author's statement when he was in the Congress opposition. "If a question is raised about an honorable minister, if any competent body of the state has to investigate, then such an honorable minister cannot remain in the post. Therefore, he should resign," the writer had said in the past while demanding the resignation of the then Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane. Addressing this issue, Khanal said in the parliament, "Today, a serious question has been raised about the same Laxmanrekha he drew, the same moral ground he established." The question has been raised on the Home Minister himself. Does the principle he preached at that time apply to him or not?'
Member of Parliament Khanal stressed that there should be an investigation into the involvement of employees in the home minister's secretariat in the visit visa case. He demanded that an investigation should also be conducted in connection with organized crime and money laundering. He insisted that the Home Minister should resign for a fair investigation.
Congress Chief Whip Shyam Kumar Ghimire also got time from the Speaker to express his views. But the meeting could not proceed as the opposition parties raised slogans. The leaders of the political parties discussed the whole day in Speaker Devaraj Ghimire's office for the running of the House but could not reach an agreement. The Congress had demanded that the Home Minister should be allowed to express his opinion in the Parliament, and then the Parliament should be allowed to run. But the opposition parties maintained that they would not allow the parliament to function until they resigned. The meeting was adjourned until 11:00 on Wednesday after the notice was not reached.
There is a constitutional provision that the budget for the next fiscal year must be brought on June 15. Opposition parties say that Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is responsible for creating the environment for that. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel was scheduled to present the economic survey of the financial year 2081/082 at the meeting of the House of Representatives on Tuesday. The economic survey could not be presented after the meeting was interrupted.
MP Pun, who is also the former finance minister, said that the parliament will function only after the resignation of the home minister and the formation of a high-level investigation committee on the visit visa case. The formation of a high-level inquiry committee and the resignation of the home minister is the bottom line of the opposition party. "The demands of the opposition should be met until the day the budget is brought," he told Kantipur.
Opposition United Samajwadi MP Prakash Jwala said that the government should create an environment to bring the budget easily. The government should come up with a solution to bring the budget easily. The Prime Minister should be serious," he told Kantipur. "We have said that the Home Minister should resign to assist in the investigation of the visit visa case, to prevent evidence from being destroyed. The Home Minister should also be investigated. After being acquitted by the investigation, he can be the home minister again.'
Congress MP Udayashamsher Jabara said that the opposition parties should run the parliament as there is a provision in the constitution about the budget. The budget is not stopped by us or any other MP or party. When the budget comes, there is no doubt about it," he said.
UML's chief whip Mahesh Bertaula said that it would not be appropriate to demand the resignation of the home minister when there is an investigation into the staff. "What kind of behavior was demonstrated by the main opposition party to demand the resignation of the interior minister by connecting an employee with the investigation or investigation process conducted by the Abuse of Authority Investigation Commission and for that, it was a repeat of an extremely unparliamentary, apolitical process," he told the media.
Congress MP Ramhari Khatiwada also said that the demand that the Home Minister should resign on the basis that an investigation has been started against the employee is not appropriate. A fair investigation should be conducted on the employees. If there is a mistake, people of any level should come under the scope of action. But there is a bias to say that the Home Minister should resign if there is an investigation on someone," he said to the media, "Do ministers resign if there are complaints against their subordinates?"
