Kathmandu: A brawl started, and lawmakers from the main opposition Nepali Congress and the ruling party CPN-UML got into a heated argument in a meeting of the House of Representatives on Thursday.
This situation arose and became tense after Speaker Devraj Ghimire allowed Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane to go to the rostrum and address the meeting amid protests from the main opposition.
Congress lawmakers had already gathered at the well and were chanting slogans demanding the formation of a parliamentary panel to probe against Home Minister Lamichhane, who is accused of being involved in multiple cooperative frauds.
When the Speaker allowed the minister to go to the rostrum, Congress vice president Dhanraj Gurung and senior CPN-UML leader and chair KP Sharma Oli, who were in the front row of the ruling bench, engaged in heated arguments, and other lawmakers from both sides subsequently joined the quarrel.
Congress lawmakers were visibly angry after the Speaker read out letters received from the Office of the President amid their protest.
Later, the Speaker asked the home minister to take his seat and adjourned the meeting. The next proceedings have been called for 11 am on Friday.
Earlier, the meeting of the National Assembly was also adjourned until 1:15 pm on Friday following obstruction from the Nepali Congress.
The main opposition has been obstructing the budget session of the parliament since the first day of the session, which commenced on May 10. However, the opposition parties had allowed the president to table the policies and programmes of the government.
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