Speaker Aryal consults with opposition parties

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Apr. 17: Speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) Dol Prasad Aryal met representatives of the opposition parties, including the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and the Nepali Communist Party (NCP), at Singha Durbar on Thursday.

During the meeting, the opposition leaders urged that all major matters should be discussed within the relevant committees before any formal decision was taken in line with established parliamentary practice.

The discussion also centred on concerns that the selection of Parliamentary Committee chairpersons had proceeded without adequate deliberations. The three parties represented in the HoR called for any decision to be made only after proper consultation among all stakeholders.

Speaking to The Rising Nepal, NC senior leader Arjun Narsingha KC said that issues related to the election of parliamentary committee chairpersons were prominently raised during the meeting. “While the authority to take a final decision rests with the Speaker, it would be more appropriate to proceed only after proper consultations with all parties. I believe decisions of this nature should follow discussions and consensus among the parties, in keeping with parliamentary practice,” he said.

The opposition’s concerns stem from the Speaker’s earlier move to fix April 17 as the date for selecting parliamentary committee chairpersons without prior consultation.

According to the opposition, this unilateral decision limited opportunities for meaningful deliberations. KC noted that although the Speaker held the prerogative to schedule such proceedings, greater consultation would have been preferable and should be ensured in the future.

KC further said that Speaker Aryal had expressed willingness to hold discussions with the parties in the coming days. He encouraged the open exchange of views while underscoring the importance of unity among political parties in parliamentary proceedings.

He also stressed that, prior to the election, parliamentary committees are typically chaired by their most senior member, who convenes the first meeting before the election process begins. “The senior-most member of the committee should have held the first meeting and then proceeded towards the election. But that did not happen, and we were concerned about that,” he said.

KC acknowledged that there had been no prior consultation with the NC, UML or the NCP regarding the selection process. However, he added that the Speaker had assured the parties that no decision would be taken without informing the opposition and that parliamentary proceedings would be conducted in accordance with established rules.