Kathmandu,– As controversy intensifies in Parliament over alleged changes to the “cooling-off period” provision in the Federal Civil Service Bill 2080, a new initiative has been launched to form a parliamentary investigation committee on the matter.
Speaker Devraj Ghimire held a key discussion on Thursday at his office in Singha Durbar with chief whips of the three major political parties. The meeting included Mahesh Kumar Bartaula of the CPN-UML, Shyam Kumar Ghimire of the Nepali Congress, and Hitraj Pandey of the CPN (Maoist Centre). Deputy Speaker Indira Rana was also present.
Speaker Proposes Committee Formation Under Rule 180
Speaker Ghimire proposed forming a parliamentary investigation committee under Rule 180 of the House of Representatives Regulations, 2079. He stressed the need to define the committee’s jurisdiction, responsibilities, and duration after its formation. He has requested political parties to submit the names of their representatives for the committee.
During the discussion, party leaders agreed that since the issue was raised from within the legislature, the investigation should also be conducted at the parliamentary level. They supported the idea of forming a parliamentary committee and said they would discuss it further within their respective parties before providing the names.
Parliamentary Session Set for Asar 23; Proposal to Advance Committee Formation
The next meeting of the House of Representatives is scheduled for Asar 23 (July 7). It was agreed that, before the session, the proposal to form the probe committee would be advanced through consensus in the Business Advisory Committee.
Separately, Ramhari Khatiwada, Chairperson of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee, provided an oral briefing on Wednesday’s committee meeting. However, the Federal Parliament Secretariat has stated that it has not yet received any formal decision or notice from the committee.
The issue has sparked intense debate within Parliament, raising questions about legislative integrity and transparency. In this context, the proposed formation of a parliamentary investigation committee is seen as a potentially decisive move.
