Main opposition party CPN-UML interrupted the meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR) on Friday expressing reservations over the ruling party member’s accusation that its Chairman, KP Sharma Oli offered brass metal as gold in Pashupatinath Temple while installing a ‘Jalahari’ (water pot) during his tenure as the prime minister last time.
Immediately after the session of the HoR started, MPs of the party stood up to protest against the charge. Speaker Devraj Ghimire provided time to Padam Giri, Chief Whip of the party to speak where he said that the House would not move ahead until the accuser apologizes and their statement erased from the official record of the parliament.
In response, Speaker Ghimire asked the members of the opposition party to cooperate and help in maintain order in the House assuring that enough attention was drawn on the matter.
However, the UML continued the obstruction demanding that the MP who charged a baseless accusation against the party chair should be booked for action. The UML also asked the Speaker to take the initiation to remove the baseless allegations of the MP from the parliamentary records.
Lekhnath Dahal, an MP from the ruling CPN (Maoist Centre) had charged that there was irregularities while covering Pashupatinath Temple with gold during Oli’s previous tenure. “He had used brass, a yellow metal made from copper and zinc, instead of gold to cover the temple,” it is in the record of May 24.
A dispute about whether the holy Pashupatinath Temple’s jalhari was made from brass metal or gold was the reason the House differed. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda was scheduled to respond to all the questions raised during the discussion on the government’s policies and programmes for the next fiscal year 2023/24.
Deputy Leader of the UML’s parliamentary party, Subas Nembang, said that the House meeting will not be allowed to happen until the baseless and irresponsible comments are corrected. “We do not want to obstruct the HoR but we also will not tolerate fake charges,” he said adding that the UML will not participate in House procedures with serious charges.
After the question about the Pashupatinath Temple’s jalhari being made of brass instead of gold was raised in the HoR, the Speaker of the House had called a meeting of Chief whips of all parties at his Office in New Baneshwor but the meeting ended inconclusively.
The meeting of the House was postponed till 6:00 but it couldn’t be called on Friday. Speaker Ghimire has called the meeting of the HoR at 4:00 PM on Saturday.
