House of Representatives meeting postponed again amid standoff over visit visa issue

Kathmandu: The meeting of the Federal Parliament’s House of Representatives, disrupted by controversy over the visit visa case, was once again unable to proceed and has been adjourned until 1 p.m. on Thursday.

Originally scheduled for 1 p.m. today, the session was first postponed to 3:15 p.m. due to ongoing disputes between ruling and opposition parties regarding the resignation of Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak. However, as the deadlock persisted, the meeting could not be convened at the rescheduled time either. A new notice was issued, officially adjourning the session until tomorrow at 1 p.m.

Meanwhile, Speaker Devraj Ghimire held discussions with the heads and chief whips of both ruling and opposition parties in an attempt to break the impasse. The meeting, held at the Federal Parliament Building in New Baneshwor, ended without resolution. According to the Speaker’s secretariat, both sides remained firm in their positions.

Opposition parties are demanding the resignation of Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak to facilitate an impartial investigation into alleged irregularities, corruption, and human trafficking linked to the visit visa process. They are also calling for the formation of either a parliamentary or judicial committee to probe the matter.

The ruling coalition, however, has defended the Home Minister, arguing that there is no need for his resignation as the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) is already investigating the issue.