House of Representatives deadlock continues over visit visa issue

Kathmandu: The Federal Parliament House of Representatives meeting has not been able to be held today on the visit visa issue.

The meeting called for 1 pm has not been able to resolve the ongoing obstruction in Parliament as the ruling and opposition parties are taking their respective stances on the resignation of Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak in the visit visa issue.

Speaker Devraj Ghimire has held discussions with the heads and chief whips of the opposition and ruling parties regarding ending the parliamentary deadlock.

A meeting of the chief whips of various political parties held at the Federal Parliament Building, New Baneshwor, at the call of Speaker Devraj Ghimire to remove the obstruction in Parliament, has ended without a conclusion, according to Speaker Ghimire’s secretariat.

Opposition parties have maintained their stance that Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak should resign to pave the way for an investigation into the visit visa issue, and that parliament will not be allowed to function until a parliamentary or judicial inquiry committee is formed to investigate irregularities, corruption and human trafficking in the visit visa issue.

The ruling parties, on the other hand, have been saying that Home Minister Lekhak does not have to resign as the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority is investigating the visit visa issue.