KATHMANDU, March 17: Lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties have strongly opposed the government's renewed attempt to introduce a law granting lifetime benefits to former distinguished officials. Speaking at the House of Representatives on Sunday, MPs criticized the move, arguing that it is unjustified at a time when economic hardships persist and public services remain ineffective.
The controversial bill, first introduced in 2072 BS (2015) and facing repeated setbacks due to public and parliamentary opposition, has resurfaced after seven years. Critics argue that politics should be treated as public service, not a lifelong entitlement.
After widespread opposition, the bill related to lifetime service for former distinguished officials was rendered inactive when the reconstituted Parliament's term ended on 22 October 2017. Since then, no attempts were made to reintroduce this bill from 2074 BS (2017/18) to 2079 BS (2022/23). The bill, introduced for the second time during Home Minister Bimalendra Nidhi’s tenure, was presented in Parliament on 10 March 2017 and sent to the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee on 22 March 2017.
The committee, chaired by Nepali Congress (NC) lawmaker Dil Bahadur Gharti, attempted to form a subcommittee to finalize the issue of providing facilities. The subcommittee reached an agreement on a bill to provide benefits to former office bearers (former President, Vice President, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Chief Justice, Constituent Assembly Chairman, former Speaker, and Chairman of the National Assembly). However, former MPs also pressured the committee to include them in the bill. The then Home Minister, Janardan Sharma, disagreed with providing facilities to former MPs. As a result, the bill was returned to the subcommittee and stalled.
Earlier, Home Minister Bamdev Gautam had introduced a bill on the facilities of distinguished officials in Parliament for the first time on 10 May 2015. After widespread criticism, the government withdrew the bill on 25 June 2015. The bill was reintroduced during Bimalendra Nidhi's tenure, this time proposing a reduction in the facilities originally included.
Earlier, in August 2012, the cabinet led by Baburam Bhattarai had recommended bringing an ordinance to provide lifelong benefits to former office bearers. The ordinance was issued by the then President Ram Baran Yadav. After a writ petition was filed against it, the Supreme Court order stalled its implementation. Now, when the government is again facing strong criticism for bringing a bill to provide benefits to former distinguished office bearers, lawmakers have demanded that the government not advance with it.
Speaking in the House of Representatives meeting, ruling NC lawmaker Ram Krishna Yadav objected to the government’s move. MP Yadav opposed the draft law, saying that it would provide former presidents, prime ministers, former speakers, former chairmen of the National Assembly, and former chairmen of the Council of Ministers with lifetime allowances, house rent, vehicles, and staff and assistants for the secretariat while the country remains mired in poverty..
Similarly, CPN (Unified Socialist) MP Prakash Jwala expressed his strong objection to the issue of providing facilities to former distinguished office bearers and urged the government to withdraw the draft. “The government should not be so bold, it should withdraw the draft bill,” he said, “It is not right to talk about lifelong facilities if someone is elected once and goes to any position. Politics should not be made like a government job pension. Politics is a service. Providing lifelong facilities should be stopped.” He stressed that the facilities of current office bearers should also be reduced.
Maoist Center MP Devendra Paudel objected to the law being made to provide facilities to former distinguished office bearers without doing politics of honesty. He said, “Nepal has been placed on the grey list. Nepal is on the list of countries with high corruption in the Transparency International report.” Stating that the government is giving benefits to former dignitaries at a time when the government should be a center of trust by carrying out reforms such as controlling inflation, he urged them not to exploit the state by giving benefits and to work effectively for the people.
Independent MP Amresh Kumar Singh strongly opposed the proposed law, stating that granting lifelong benefits to former dignitaries is unnecessary. "They loot while in office, and they plan to loot even after leaving! Public tax money should not be squandered like this," he said, "While the people struggle with debt, the government is pushing such a law."
MP Chanda Karki of the Rastriya Swatantra Party also voiced her opposition, criticizing the government for introducing a law to expand benefits for dignitaries amid widespread corruption. Similarly, MP Goma Labh Sapkota of the Janamat Party warned that implementing such a law during an economic crisis would deepen public frustration and fuel widespread discontent. "I demand that the government clarify its position on this in Parliament," she said.