By Our Reporter
Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane has been dragged into controversy after his involvement in embezzling the money of a Pokhara-based cooperative was questioned in the House of Representatives.
The Nepali Congress has been demanding the resignation of Lamicchane stating that a fair investigation in the case related to cooperative victims was not possible when one of the accused leads the Home administration.
They obstructed the House by picketing bail to prevent the Home Minister from presenting a bill and seeking answers from Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal about the induction of Lamichhane into the Cabinet.
Although Prime Minister Dahal as well as CPN-UML Chair KP Oli on Tuesday defended Lamichhane in the House meeting, NC lawmakers insisted that the Home Minister should step down.
After being dissatisfied with the PM’s answer, the NC lawmakers on Tuesday demanded a parliamentary commission to look into the case related to Lamichhane. They also warned of obstructing the House if the commission was not formed. However, Oli outright rejected the formation of the commission.
Before the earlier coalition of NC-Maoists broke, the UML and Rastriya Swatantra Party had demanded the resignation of Minister Prakash Jwala for his involvement in enticing Bal Kumari incident in which two youths were killed on January 1 this year, and Health Minister Mohan Bahadur Basnet for his involvement in a corruption case. The two parties had also sought clarifications from PM Dahal for not sacking the controversial ministers. However, before PM Dahal gave his clarifications, the coalition was altered. Now the NC lawmakers have raised similar questions targeting Home Minister Lamichhane. If NC continues obstructing the House, the PM will have no option but to relieve him or prorogue the House or from the commission as demanded by NC.
As such, the controversy may turn a seed for widening differences between the government and the opposition or even the fall of the government.
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