Opposition Obstructs Parliament Seeking Home Minister's Resignation

Opposition parties disrupted Tuesday’s meeting of the House of Representatives, demanding the resignation of Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak over the recent visit visa scandal.

Due to the protest, the meeting was postponed for half an hour. The main opposition party, CPN (Maoist Center), along with Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), shouted slogans and demanded the Home Minister’s resignation. They stated that the Parliament cannot function normally until Lekhak steps down.

The disruption began after CPN (Maoist Center) Deputy General Secretary Barshaman Pun and RSP’s Shishir Khanal spoke at the meeting. They made it clear that the Home Minister’s resignation is their bottom line and they won’t allow the budget session to proceed without it.

Speaker Devraj Ghimire had allowed Nepali Congress Chief Whip Shyam Ghimire to speak on behalf of the ruling party, but opposition MPs continued their protest, forcing the Speaker to halt the session for 30 minutes.

Barshaman Pun claimed that the visit visa scam involves corruption worth billions and appears to have been executed with political backing. He pointed out that the main accused, Tirtharaj Bhattarai, was sent to Tribhuvan International Airport with the support of the Home Minister.

Pun questioned as to why Bhattarai, a government official previously linked to irregularities, was given a powerful post. He said this raises doubts about whether the decision was based on merit or hidden interests, and called for a thorough investigation.

He urged Minister Lekhak to resign immediately to allow an impartial investigation. Pun also reminded Parliament that, Lekhak, when in the opposition, had demanded the resignation of other ministers on moral grounds.