HoR meeting adjourned and postponed over ‘violence’

Kathmandu- The meeting of the House of Representatives today was adjourned following a debate between MPs of the ruling party and the main opposition party over the word ‘violence’.

The debate between the two sides has started by CPN (UML) MP Yogesh Bhattarai said that ‘violence’ was committed during the then armed conflict led by CPN (Maoist) party in the Lower House meeting on August 28.

In response, MPs of CPN (Maoist Center) expressed objection to it and demanded that the word be removed from the records of the Parliament. Speaker Devraj Ghimire then asked the Federal Parliament Secretariat to carry out a study over the word ‘violence’. In today’s meeting, Speaker Ghimire informed the House that since the word ‘violence’ was not found to be un-parliamentary it should not be removed from the records.

Soon after MPs of the Maoist Center protested by saying that the word violence was allowed to be used in violation of the Constitution. After seeking time from the Speaker, Maoist Centre chief whip Hitaraj Pandey and MP Devendra Paudel said the use of the word ‘violence’ had demeaned the armed conflict waged by the Maoist party.

On the other hand, CPN (UML) Chief Whip Mahesh Bertaula and MP Raghuji Pant made it clear that the word ‘violence’ was not aimed at any particular individual but at the heinous and inhumane activities that took place during the armed conflict.

However, the MPs of the main opposition parties stood up from their seats in protest, leading to repeated requests from the Speaker to allow the house to move ahead with the agenda of the day. But the opposition MPs continued with their protests, prompting the Speaker to adjourn the meeting and postpone it to September 15.