Row in House over Ghising’s removal

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Mar. 27: The Federal Parliament on Wednesday was repeatedly disrupted by opposition parties demanding an explanation from Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli regarding the removal of Kulman Ghising from his position as Managing Director of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA). Chairman and parliamentary leader of the CPN (Maoist Centre), Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', had earlier stated that parliamentary proceedings would not resume until the Prime Minister addresses the issue in the House.

The protest intensified when the opposition parties in both the House of Representatives and the National Assembly stood up in protest. They demanded that Prime Minister Oli provide a satisfactory explanation for the sudden dismissal of Ghising, who is credited for ending load-shedding and making the NEA profitable. According to Prachanda, the opposition believes that Ghising was removed unjustly with just four months left to complete his term.

Talking to the media at the parliament building, Prachanda emphasised that the Prime Minister must come to the rostrum and give a clear response. "If the explanation is satisfactory, the House will function immediately, but if the answer is unsatisfactory, the protest will continue," he said.

Prachanda denied accusations that the removal of Ghising was tied to the formation of a Transitional Justice Commission (TRC). The allegations, particularly from Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) spokesperson Gyanendra Shahi, claimed that the dismissal was part of a deal related to the TRC. Prachanda firmly rejected the claims, labelling them as dishonest and propaganda aimed at tarnishing his reputation.

The opposition's strong stance follows a meeting between the leaders of Nepal's three major political parties, Nepali Congress, CPN (UML), and CPN (Maoist Centre), held earlier this week, where discussions over the TRC were overshadowed by Ghising’s dismissal.

The disruption of parliamentary sessions has resulted in the adjournment of meetings, with the House of Representatives session postponed until Thursday. Speaker Devraj Ghimire had earlier called for a short adjournment after opposition MPs protested. Maoist Centre MP Shakti Basnet accused the government of removing Ghising to benefit middlemen, and urged the Prime Minister to address the House directly.

After the second meeting of the day was disrupted, Speaker Devraj Ghimire had to postpone the meeting until 11 am on Thursday after opposition lawmakers refused to allow the session to continue until Prime Minister Oli answered questions about Ghising's dismissal.

Similarly, the National Assembly meeting scheduled for 1:15 pm was adjourned due to protests from the opposition lawmakers, who insisted that the Prime Minister must provide an explanation for Ghising's removal. Maoist Center MP Gopi Bahadur Achhami voiced strong objections to the removal, describing it as insulting to Ghising. The opposition lawmakers said that the House could not function until the Prime Minister explains the decision, further escalating the political standoff. 

Despite a brief adjournment, opposition parties continued to block proceedings, leading National Assembly Chairman Narayan Dahal to postpone the meeting until 4:45 pm. However, the opposition's protests continued, resulting in another adjournment until 12:15 pm on Thursday.