Speaker Subas Nembang called the meeting after Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal´s efforts to dissuade the four -- Bishwendra Paswan, Saddrul Miya Haq, Buddha Ratna Manandhar and Rukmini Chaudhary -- failed.[break]
The speaker read out the letter from President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav summoning the budget session, amidst the sloganeering. Nembang then announced adjournment of the meeting, setting the next meeting for May 8.
As the lawmakers started chanting slogans the speaker couldn´t conduct a minute´s silence in memory of the martyrs, as per parliamentary practice at the beginning of every session.
"It is the first time this has happened after democracy was established and it´s unfortunate," said a parliament secretariat official.
Earlier in the morning the four lawmakers were invited for talks with top leaders including Prime Minister Khanal and UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal. But the four didn´t show up even though the top leaders waited nearly an hour at Singha Durbar.
They had been obstructing parliament in the previous session also and hindering the constitution writing process at the Constituent Assembly. They accuse the major political parties of not being ready to incorporate the issues of dalits and marginalized communities in the new constitution.
Over a dozen political parties including the main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) and Madhesh-based and small parties also threatened to protest in parliament against the government decision to bring an early budget. But they agreed to let the House meeting proceed after the prime minister agreed at a meeting with leaders from 11 parties in the afternoon to bring the budget only with the consent of other parties.
As per the government´s plan, the president was to present the policies and programs of the new government on May 10 and the finance minister was to present a new budget May 23.
The previous budget session was prorogued amidst sloganeering when the then finance minister tried to present the budget in the face of objections by Maoist lawmakers.
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