In the process of passing the budget, a scuffle broke out between the ruling and opposition parliamentarians in the state assembly of Gandaki on Wednesday. Aiming at the ruling party MPs, the lawmakers of the opposition CPN-UML even said 'single eyes'.
The controversy started when the government led by Krishnachandra Nepali Pokhrel, formed on June 12, hastily brought the budget on June 15 but failed to prepare a budget booklet (red book) with a plan. The government accused the opposition UML of blocking the parliament without a red book and accused the government led by Prithvi Subba Gurung of awarding a contract worth Rs 4 billion for a project that was not in the budget.
In response, the UML accused the government of exchanging Rs. 160 million and distributing it through the parliamentarians.
After the meeting was repeatedly interrupted, the government and the main opposition agreed to form a seven-member parliamentary committee under the coordination of the UML MP to investigate the money laundering scheme. As per the agreement, the appropriation bill was submitted to the state assembly and the discussion was hastily ended as the appropriation bill had to be passed before July 20.
On Wednesday morning, UML had handed over a 10-point letter to Chief Minister Pokharel, who is also in charge of the finance ministry. After that, the meeting that started at 11 is was interrupted saying that their demands had not been met.
In the meeting that resumed at 4 pm, UML again blocked the parliament, but Speaker Netranath Adhikari did not stop the meeting. When Chief Minister Pokharel tried to go to Rostam to introduce the bill and was obstructed by the opposition, there was a commotion in the state assembly.
Opposition lawmakers tried to surround the chief minister, who was trying to reach Rostam. In the process, the dignitary released the Chief Minister from the siege of the Opposition MPs and sent him to Rostam. Opposition lawmakers shouted slogans and threw up tables. CPN-UML MP and former Minister for Physical Infrastructure Development Ram Sharan Basnet lifted the table and threw it towards the four MPs. He threw chairs at Maoist Center MPs Gayatri Gurung, Asha Gurung, Nepali Congress MPs Mekhlal Shrestha, and Bindukumar Thapa.
MP Basnet has claimed that the table has been 'removed due to space constraints. Stating that they were forced to protest after the ruling party's intervention, he said, "Look at the video of the throw!"
MP Bindu Thapa at the center of the incident
Bindukumar Thapa of the ruling Nepali Congress is also involved in the incident. After the dignitaries tried to take Chief Minister Pokharel to the rostrum amidst their obstructions, the UML lawmakers ran around the rostrum chanting slogans.
Incumbent MP Thapa also joined the crowd. Congress MP Mekhlal Shrestha hastily returned MP Thapa. But that made the opposition MPs even more outraged. "I stopped him (MP Thapa), he backed down," says MP Shrestha. "They (opposition MPs) used to call us single eyes." I did not respond because the ruling party should be restrained! '
In the same outrage, the former minister and UML MP Basnet raised the table in front of him and threw it on the empty seats in front of the ruling party MPs. The table thrown by Minister Basnet is the sixth wave minister's table, which was used by the then Environment and Tourism Minister Vikas Lamsal. This time the table was empty when the ministry was not divided and no minister was appointed.
Janata Samajwadi Party MP Dhanmaya Lama says, 'The table was thrown at us. It would have hurt to throw it away. ' However, she also said that the opposition MPs were outraged when Congress MP Bindu Thapa went after the Chief Minister and threw the table at the same time.
MP Thapa says: I went to facilitate
Congress MP Thapa, who reached the place where the opposition lawmakers were chanting slogans, said that he went to facilitate the Chief Minister after seeing him being beaten up. He told Unlikekhbar: But, after my friends stopped me, I returned. '
MP Thapa has responded that former minister Basnet, who has just come out of power, has forgotten his status and behaved indecently. "I tried to challenge him before I got there," he said. It was very undisciplined and disgusting. '
Amidst all these tensions, the state assembly has passed the appropriation bill (budget) based on the majority.
