Gagan Thapa accuses govt of undermining parliament

KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress General Secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa has expressed discontent with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, stating the government was undermining the parliament.

Participating in a discussion on the Bill to Amend Some Nepal Acts, 2023 in the parliament on Tuesday, Thapa raised questions about the way the government is functioning. “If the government believes it can move ahead by undermining the parliament, I urge the prime minister to be prepared to address these concerns in a more constructive manner. Just because you enjoy the majority doesn’t mean that we, the lawmakers, will have to be mere bystanders, applauding everything you do,” Thapa said.  “Any attempt to undermine our role is unacceptable.”

Thapa also said that the law minister, who is from his party Nepali Congress, should not carry the burden of politicizing criminal activities.

Criticizing the Bill, he said that the Bill has been introduced to protect influential individuals implicated in grave offenses. “I want to make it clear that certain provisions in the Bill, which are designed to shield individuals involved in heinous crimes, are not endorsed by Nepali Congress,” Thapa stated. “We firmly oppose the criminalization of politics and the politicization of criminal activities.”

Thapa also requested Minister for Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs, Dhanraj Gurung, saying, “This bill was formulated by the government that came into power after the 2017 election. You shouldn’t carry the weight of its implications.”