Himal Press 
Sobita Gautam
KATHMANDU: Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Sobita Gautam has apologized for saying that the upper house had created obstacles to the lawmaking process.
Gautam tendered her apology after lawmakers objected to her remarks during the National Assembly meeting on Thursday.
Minister Gautam had made the remarks during an event organized to mark the first anniversary of the Gen Z protest in Kathmandu on Tuesday.
She apologized from the rostrum, saying that her remarks had hurt the sentiments of National Assembly members.
Gautam said she had merely pointed out that even with a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives, the lawmaking process could not be completed by a majority of the lower house alone. She said lawmaking requires a complex constitutional process involving the House of Representatives, the National Assembly and presidential authentication.
She said she had presented only factual information and had not used any objectionable words suggesting that the National Assembly had failed to cooperate.
Gautam argued that, as a political figure, her remarks had been interpreted differently by journalists and social commentators.
She said she could not be held responsible for statements she had not made or for interpretations made by the media in their own way.
Gautam stressed that the National Assembly and the government should work together and coordinate in the lawmaking process in the days ahead.
