Lekhak must face same scrutiny as Lamichhane: RSP

KATHMANDU, June 25: The House of Representatives (HoR) has not yet recovered from the deadlock over the visit visa scandal. The case, which entered the House of Representatives about a month ago, is still an obstacle in the parliament.

The second-largest opposition party, Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), is spearheading the protest on this issue. Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), the third-largest opposition party in the parliament, is seconding the attack spearheaded by the RSP. Initially, the main opposition party CPN (Maoist Center) was also in the same line, but after signing a two-point agreement with the ruling parties Nepali Congress and CPN (UML) on May 15, the Maoist Center has withdrawn the pressure it heaped on the government. However, the RSP and RPP have not backed away from their stance.

The government has already formed a seven-member probe committee headed by former chief secretary Shanker Das Bairagi with joint secretaries of six ministries to probe the scam. However, the two opposition parties have rejected the committee. They have also boycotted the first meeting of the HoR held on Tuesday after the formation of the committee. They allowed Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, who presented an official notice of the formation of the committee, to speak, but boycotted the meeting immediately after.

The RSP had demanded a high-level parliamentary inquiry committee or judicial commission to probe into the visit visa scandal. However, the government formed a bureaucratic probe committee. The Rabi Lamichhane-led party has been instigated by the decision.

The party wants the formation of a high-level parliamentary inquiry committee to probe into the scandal, a move similar to the parliamentary committee formed to investigate Lamichhane’s role in cooperative scams across the country.

In Tuesday's meeting of the HoR, RSP’s vice-chair and lawmaker Dr. Swarnim Wagle reiterated the party’s demand of formation of a parliamentary committee or a judicial committee under the Commission of Inquiry Act 2026 BS. “We will not accept the bureaucratic probe committee,” he said.

Contrary to the government’s action in the visit visa scandal, a high-level parliamentary inquiry committee was formed when former Home Minister Lamichhane was accused of involvement in cooperative scams. He is still in custody due to the report of the committee formed under the leadership of CPN (UML) lawmaker Surya Thapa, which recommended action against Lamichhane.

The RSP wants a similar high-level inquiry committee to be formed to probe the involvement of current Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak in the visit visa scandal. RSP has been reiterating that Lekhak's involvement in the visit visa case has been confirmed.

The RSP had earlier demanded the resignation of Home Minister Lekhak, but after Lekhak’s decision to not resign, it demanded the formation of a high-level inquiry committee or judicial commission. As the government turned a deaf ear to the issue, RSP is still expressing disagreement in the house meeting through sloganeering and boycotting the meetings.

RSP’s Spokesperson Manish Jha said that their agitation will continue until their demands are met. “This committee is just a conspiracy designed to hide the face of the Maoist Center and to deceive the people of the ruling party,” Jha wrote on Facebook.