By Our Reporter
Three weeks after the impeachment motion was registered, the Parliament on Sunday formed an Impeachment Recommendation Committee to study allegations against Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher JB Rana.
Speaker Agni Sapkota had presented a proposal to form an 11-member Impeachment Recommendation Committee as per Article 101 (3) and (4) of the House of Representatives Regulations, which was endorsed by majority votes.
“Since the majority of the lawmakers have voted in favour, I declare that the proposal has been accepted,” said Speaker Sapkota at Sunday’s Parliament meeting.
The committee includes Bishnu Poudel, Lalbabu Pandit, Shiva Maya Tumbahamphe and Krishna Bhakta Pokhrel from the CPN-UML; Min Bishwarkarma and Ram Bahadur Bista from the Nepali Congress; Yashoda Subedi and Rekha Sharma from the Maoist Centre; Ekbal Miya from the Loktantrik Samajwadi Party; Kalyani Kumari Khadka from the CPN (Unified Socialist); and Pramod Sah from the Janata Samajwadi Party.
As many as 98 lawmakers of the ruling coalition–Nepali Congress, Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) and CPN (Unified Socialist) had registered the impeachment motion against Rana on February 13 in a dramatic development when the entire nation was divided for and against the MCC Compact.
The main opposition CPN-UML reacted sharply in the beginning. There were speculations of a counter-move by the UML and it had even collected signatures of its lawmakers on blank papers probably to file impeachment motions against four other justices who were part of the Constitutional Bench led by Rana, which reinstated the House and paved a way for Sher Bahadur Deuba to become new Prime Minister in July last year.
The UML, however, made no such move, probably fearing similar impeachment against President Bidya Devi Bhandari.
However, it is unlikely that the House could endorse the impeachment with a two-thirds majority, because the ruling parties lack two-thirds votes, while the UML may not vote against Rana.
Government still unable to appoint ambassadors
The government has been unable to appoint ambassadors even six months after it recalled 21 ambassadors appointed by the KP Sharma Oli. Although the government a few weeks ago appointed ambassadors to the USA, UK and India, it has not yet appointed one in China, the northern neighbour.
It is said that as communist parties want their man in Beijing, Prime Minister Deuba has delayed in appointing Nepal’s ambassador in China.
Talking to the media persons for the first time after he assumed the portfolio of the ministry, Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Narayan Khadka said on Monday that the appointment of ambassadors would be initiated soon. He also maintained that the efforts to balance the ruling alliance had delayed the envoys’ appointment programme.
Similarly, Dr. Khadka clarified that taking the side of Ukraine following the Russian invasion was not about taking sides in the war.
Dr. Khadka said that it was a step taken in favour of the sovereignty of a smaller nation.
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was against the sovereignty of a nation and disturbed the world peace. Nepal’s vote was against the invasion; it is not about joining the Western alliance. It is as per the UN Charter and international treaties,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) informed that 533 Nepalis had reached safer locations from Ukraine.
MCC’s ratification causes disputes in communist parties
A week after the House of Representatives endorsed the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact, the two ruling communist parties have been unable to settle the dispute that surfaced from its ratification. While Narayankaji Shrestha in the Maoist Centre has challenged to split the party, Jhalanath Khanal in the CPN(Unified Socialist) has become angry with Madhav Kumar Nepal for agreeing to endorse the MCC.
Had Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav Nepal not agreed to endorse the MCC on the night of February 27, they will probably be out of government with an uncertain political future. They had no option but to endorse the MCC to stay in power.
However, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who was grilled in the party’s central committee meeting over the MCC ratification, tried to convince the leaders that he would have been treated like a war criminal had he not agreed to endorse the MCC. He even said that the Americans would finish him in case the MCC was not ratified.
He even did not allow discussion on MCC in the party central committee meeting that concluded on Monday. Instead, he convinced the party leaders to discuss the issue only after the local level election, which means after May 17.
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