Kathmandu, – Two of Nepal’s opposition parties—the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP)—walked out of Parliament on Wednesday, frustrated over the government’s failure to launch an independent investigation into the ongoing visit visa scandal.
As soon as the session got underway, Speaker Devraj Ghimire read out the agenda for the day. But before things could move forward, lawmakers from both RSP and RPP stood up in protest. They’ve been demanding a high-level judicial inquiry—or at the very least, a special parliamentary committee—to look into suspected irregularities surrounding the issuance of visit visas.
The Speaker first gave the floor to RSP lawmaker Bindabasini Kansakar, who didn’t hold back. She said the government had ignored their repeated calls to form an investigation panel, and until that happens, her party sees no point in sitting through the sessions. “We’ll keep protesting,” she said firmly.
Next, RPP Chairman Rajendra Lingden took the mic and backed her up. “We’ve been raising this issue for a while now, and nothing has changed,” he said. “Unless our demand for a credible investigation is met, we’ll continue to push back.”
After both leaders spoke, lawmakers from RSP and RPP left the chamber in protest.
Both parties have argued that the visit visa issue involves serious misuse and possibly illegal activity. Without an impartial investigation, they say, the public’s trust in government and Parliament could take a serious hit. They’ve warned that if the matter continues to be brushed aside, the pressure on the government—both inside and outside Parliament—is only going to grow.
