KATHMANDU, Aug 22: Nepali Congress Parliamentary Party (PP) meeting on Saturday rejected the reply sent by party member and foreign minister Sujata Koirala through a letter and insisted that she be present in person before them on Tuesday to furnish the reason behind her eleventh hour decision not to accompany the prime minister during his India visit. [break]
The meeting decided to give Koirala a last chance after PP members alleged that she had defied the directive of the PP meeting to attend in person and instead sent a letter via the Foreign Ministry. She abstained from attending the PP meeting Saturday saying she had pre-scheduled programs to attend.
Talking to media after the meeting, Nara Hari Acharya said the PP meeting has directed Minister Koirala to compulsorily attend the PP meeting Tuesday afternoon to furnish her reply, as a last chance to save herself from disciplinary action.
NC sources said the PP meeting is likely to recall Koirala from the cabinet if she ignores the call of the PP meeting on Tuesday also.
Several PP leaders including Purna Bahadur Khadka, Gagan Thapa, Suprabha Ghimire and Dr Narayan Khadka had argued that the party should either declare that some members of the NC are above the party´s statutory provisions or take action as per the party statute for ignoring the call of the PP meeting.
The PP members expressed concern that Koirala´s ignoring the call of the PP meeting could set a bad precedent if no action is taken, and that it would consequently render even party whips over crucial issues meaningless.
A PP meeting of the NC held Friday had asked Koirala to appear in person at the PP meeting at 1 p.m. on Saturday to furnish clarifications over her decision to opt out of the India trip after NC sources said Koirala took the decision because of the prime minister´s refusal to make her deputy prime minister before flying off to India. NC President Girija Prasad Koirala, who is her father, is learnt to have asked Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal to appoint her deputy prime minister prior to his India visit.
Talking to Republica earlier on Saturday morning, Foreign Minister Koirala had said that she would not attend the meeting as she was not formally asked to do so. "If the party asks for an explanation, the Foreign Ministry will provide the explanation," Koirala told myrepublica.com.
She took the decision after her father went to meet her at her residence at Mandikhatar Saturday.
Koirala, who seemed unruffled by strong condemnation of her decision from all quarters including from within her own party, had decided to challenge the party after the meeting with her father.
Addressing Saturday´s PP meeting, Dr Narayan Khadka, Purna Bahadur Khadka, Nara Hari Acharya and Gagan Thapa, among others, had said that the issue of Foreign Minister Koirala ignoring the PP meeting´s call should not be taken lightly. They argued that the decisions of PP meetings would become meaningless if no action is taken against those ignoring them.
“It is most regrettable to ignore a call of the PP meeting,” said Khadka. “The foreign minister should furnish a convincing answer. Else the PP meeting should decide to recall her from the government.”
As the lawmakers insisted that the meeting should not move on to other agenda items unless the issue of the foreign minister is dealth with, NC PP leader Ram Chandra Poudel had repeatedly asked them not to unnecessarily hype up the issue and take up other agenda items for discussion.
Among other things, NC PP meeting has decided to expedite talks with other political parties to facilitate the ongoing peace process, accomplish the task of integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants and draw the attention of the government to forming the State Restructuring Commission.
The NC concluded that the decision of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) to form a Joint Front, putting forth various demands, was aimed at obstructing the peace process.
Meanwhile, NC president Girija Prasad Koirala is hosting a tea party at his residence Sunday morning for party colleagues.
koshraj@myrepublica.com
akanshya@myrepublica.com
Related story
Kathmandu Road Division Office summons KMC mayor Balen to appea...
