Kathmandu: Opposition parties strongly criticised the government in Monday’s House of Representatives meeting, raising concerns over ordinances, parliamentary rules, and recent enforcement actions, turning the session into a heated exchange.
Nepali Congress lawmaker Nischal Rai objected to provisions in the draft House of Representatives Rules, particularly Rule 259, which states that parliamentary rules would function as federal law for the House, its committees, and members, and would apply as special legislation overriding other laws.
He argued that this could grant lawmakers special immunity, including in corruption-related cases, and questioned why MPs should be treated differently under laws such as the anti-corruption and money laundering acts.
Rai asked why such “special exemption” was being introduced and said Parliament cannot place itself above the law. In the same session, Padma Aryal of the CPN (UML) strongly criticised the government’s use of ordinances, accusing it of bypassing Parliament and pushing the country toward “controlled dictatorship.”
She also condemned the bulldozer action against landless settlers and demanded immediate withdrawal of all ordinances, warning that repeated executive decisions were undermining democratic norms.Meanwhile, Yubaraj Dulal of the Nepali Communist Party called the government’s demolition drive against landless settlers “state terror,” alleging that citizens were removed without adequate notice.
He also criticised the increasing use of ordinances instead of parliamentary lawmaking and questioned whether such practices reflected democratic governance.Opposition lawmakers also raised objections to proposed changes in the Constitutional Council, arguing that allowing decisions through a simple majority of three in a six-member body would undermine institutional balance and enable executive dominance.
