KATHMANDU, Jan 31: Nepali Congress (NC) has decided to continue obstructing parliament to protest against the government getting the National Medical Education Bill endorsed through the deployment of House marshals against opposition lawmakers. 

Although the government has now decided to bring two hospitals named after past NC leaders under the federal government to appease the opposition, NC leaders said on Thursday that the party will continue its obstructions to protest the government’s endorsement of the disputed bill by force. 

“We have heard that the government has corrected its decision to dissolve two hospitals named after national leaders following pressure from us, but we will continue the obstruction of parliament to pressure the government to correct its move on the medical education bill,” said NC Chief Whip Balkrishna Khand. “We will continue obstructions in the parliament until the government agrees to make corrections in the bill in line with the agreement reached with Dr Govinda KC.” 

NC Chief Whip Khand, Whip Pushpa Bhusal, and party leaders Dilendra Badu and Parbati DC Chaudhary informed about the party’s position at a meeting of parliament’s Business Advisory Committee Wednesday. The party has also convened a meeting of its parliamentary party to brief its MPs in this connection. 

The government on Monday revoked an earlier decision and decided to continue operating the two hospitals – Girija Prasad Koirala Respiratory Center (Tanahun) and Sushil Koirala Prakhar Cancer Hospital (Banke) – under the federal government, following House obstructions and street protests by the NC. But the government’s attempt to appease has failed as the NC has decided to keep pressing it to rework the Medical Education Bill in line with the demands of Dr KC. The doctor has been staging a fast-unto-death for the last 22 days in support of his demands.

The medical education bill was endorsed by the lower house on Friday amid sloganeering and protests in the well and tabled at the upper house on Monday amid further protests from NC lawmakers.

 
• Nepali_Congress
 
• opposition
 
• obstruct_parliament
 
• National_Medical_Education_Bill