Himal Press 
Leaders attending a meeting of political parties represented in Parliament organized by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Sunday. Photo: RSS
KATHMANDU: The meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR) scheduled for 1 pm on Sunday has been deferred until August 22. This announcement was formally conveyed at 3 pm.
Earlier in the day, a meeting of leaders of political parties represented in the House of Representatives was convened at Singha Durbar to find a way out to end the Hosue impasse. Unfortunately, this meeting, much like the HoR session itself, was unable to reach a consensus on addressing the ongoing parliamentary obstruction. In the meeting held at the Prime Minister’s Office in Singha Darbar, UML leaders reiterated their demand for the formation of a high-level commission to investigate gold smuggling.
Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs, Narayankaji Shrestha, said there was no need for a separate investigation as an investigation initiated by a responsible agency is gaining momentum. Shrestha indicated that the formation of a commission or committee might have adverse consequences in the ongoing investigation.
Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane said the investigative agency should reach a conclusion on gold smuggling at the earliest. “In the meeting, I called on the senior leaders to reach consensus for resumption of Hosue proceedings,” Lamichhane told reporters after the meeting. “Our line is that House proceedings shouldn’t be stopped. If anything is to be discussed, it can be done in the House.”
For the past month, Parliament has been grappling with stagnation due to the obstruction spearheaded by the main opposition party, CPN-UML. Initiatives taken by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal and Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire to end House obstructions have thus far proven unsuccessful. A separate dialogue between the Prime Minister, Speaker, and concerned parties to navigate the issue of unblocking the legislative proceedings concluded without a concrete resolution.
The meeting of the chief whips from both the ruling party and the opposition, convened by Speaker Ghimire, also ended inconclusively.
During discussions, Ravi Lamichhane, president of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, said that the meeting among leaders of the nationally recognized parties concluded with a decision to revisit the matter.
