May 26, Biratnagar – The Koshi Province Assembly meeting has been postponed until May 30 due to a dispute during the process of passing the provincial government’s policy and program.
During Wednesday’s session, opposition members disrupted proceedings and surrounded the rostrum, prompting Speaker Ambar Bahadur Bisht to suspend the meeting for half an hour. As the session could not resume afterward, an official notice was posted declaring the meeting adjourned.
According to Niroj Dhakal, information officer at the Provincial Assembly Secretariat, the next session will convene at 1 p.m. on May 30.
On Tuesday, Speaker Bisht declared the policy and program as passed by ‘unanimity’ without allowing time for amendments, which led to opposition parties objecting. They argued that declaring unanimous passage without their support contravenes parliamentary norms.
At the start of Wednesday’s session, opposition leader Indra Bahadur Angbo asserted that the assembly should not proceed against established parliamentary conventions. He questioned, “How is a program considered unanimous if the opposition does not consent?” and demanded that the session could not continue until the program was declared passed by majority vote.
Despite opposition disruption, the Speaker attempted to move forward with the agenda, escalating tensions in the assembly. When the Speaker gave an opportunity to Janata Samajbadi Party lawmaker Nirmala Tawa Limbu to speak, former Chief Minister and Communist Party MP Rajendra Rai rushed towards the rostrum.
Rai tried to seize the microphone at the rostrum but was stopped by assembly marshals, during which some disturbances occurred in the chamber.
In the midst of the dispute, Speaker Bisht maintained that proceedings followed procedural rules. He explained that no amendment proposals were submitted and no objections verbally raised, thus by parliamentary convention the motion passed by unanimity. He clarified that once the policy and program are passed, reversal is not possible.
Central Issue of the Majority Claim
Former Chief Minister and opposition MP Rajendra Rai contended that the Speaker acted under the influence of the ruling party, sidelining legal and parliamentary traditions.
“Rather than intention, it appears due to ignorance or pressure from the ruling party, the Speaker violated laws,” Rai said. “No time was given to submit amendments yesterday, and despite opposition, the process was forced forward today.”
He explained that their opposition escalated after the Speaker’s forceful advancement of the process. “Our plan was to surround the rostrum as a form of protest. We were not given sufficient time to speak otherwise; had we been allowed, speaking and protesting could have occurred together,” Rai stated. “That is why we approached to surround the rostrum.”
The opposition insists that the policy and program passed in the assembly should be considered passed by majority vote rather than unanimity. “We opposed the decision within the passage process. Declaring it unanimous while opposition remained present is incorrect,” he added. “Our demand is that this should not be called ‘unanimous’ but should be recognized as passed by ‘majority.’”
