Task force fails to reach consensus on ToR, again

KATHMANDU: The meeting of the task force formed to finalize the terms of reference (ToR) for the parliamentary inquiry panel to investigate cooperative fraud allegations against Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane ended inconclusively on Thursday.

The opposition parties insisted on naming Home Minister Lamichhane in the ToR, while the ruling parties were against naming specific individuals, according to a member of the task force. The two sides, however, have agreed to name the cooperatives concerned, such as Suryadarshan, Supreme, Swarnalaxmi, and Sano Paila, among others.

The four-member task force is led by Minister for Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Padam Giri, with Jivan Pariyar of Nepali Congress, Mahesh Bartaula of CPN-UML, and Shishir Khanal of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) as members.

The task force will hold its next meeting at 8 am on Friday.

Nepali Congress has been obstructing Hosue meetings for the past many days, demanding a parliamentary probe into cooperative fraud allegations against Lamichhane.