Bagmati Provincial Assembly Session Stalled Amidst Speaker Vacancy and Federal Politics

Hetauda. The eighth anniversary of the Bagmati Provincial Assembly was observed on Magh 19. The Provincial Assembly's anniversary was limited to formalities. The anniversary event was confined to formalities due to the situation following the Janji movement, preparations for the House of Representatives elections, and the vacancy of the Speaker's post.

The Provincial Assembly meeting has not been held since the Janji movement. The last meeting was held on Shrawan 27 to discuss Chief Minister Indra Bahadur Baniya's vote of confidence motion. The meeting, which was indefinitely postponed immediately after Chief Minister Baniya secured the vote of confidence, has not convened since.

Chief Minister Baniya is delaying calling the Provincial Assembly meeting. The Provincial Assembly is without a Speaker, and the delay in convening the session is due to the ruling coalition's inability to reach a consensus on who will take the Speaker's position.

The two ruling coalition partners, the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML, have not agreed on the Speaker's post. On the other hand, the opposition CPN (Maoist Centre) has asserted its natural claim to the Speaker's position.

Chief Minister Baniya appears to be preparing to operate the Provincial Assembly meeting only after the formation of the Federal Government. His plan is to call the Provincial Assembly meeting according to the central scenario after the formation of the Federal Parliament and Government.

“The meeting must be held within the month of Chaitra”: Deputy Speaker Chapagain

Bagmati Province Deputy Speaker Apsara Chapagain stated that preparations are underway to advance the Provincial Assembly meeting and the process for electing the Speaker only after the Federal Parliament session begins. She clarified that while the Provincial Assembly Secretariat is fully prepared to conduct the session, the delay is due to the government (Council of Ministers) not making a decision.

According to Deputy Speaker Chapagain, the Chief Minister seems inclined to move forward with the Provincial Assembly only after observing the political equation and the direction of the Federal Government. “I am discussing this with the Chief Minister. He has said, ‘Let the upper house (Federal Parliament) convene, and then we will start,’ but the honorable members are eager to speak in the session,” she said. “There is sufficient business for the session right now.”

Three new bills are coming to the Provincial Assembly, and two are pending from before. One bill is currently in the Provincial Assembly. Deputy Speaker Chapagain said, “We can run the house continuously. But calling the meeting is the government's job. We have completed the management preparations.”

She indicated that although some regular activities of the Provincial Assembly have been halted due to the elections and recent political changes, they will gradually resume. Her statement mentioned that legal interaction programs at the district level are scheduled to begin from the 10th.

Deputy Speaker Chapagain expressed confidence that the Provincial Assembly meeting will take place within the month of Chaitra.

“Meeting will be held after the formation of the Federal Government”: Minister Bade

Bagmati Province Minister for Social Development, Kanchan Chandra Bade, stated that the next session of the Provincial Assembly will be called only after the formation of the Federal Government and political stability. He mentioned that the provincial government is currently awaiting the federal government's equation and formation process.

He stated that the Provincial Assembly meeting and other technical processes will move forward only after the Federal Government is formed. According to him, the difficulty in conducting the Provincial Assembly meeting is due to the problem with the hall.

Minister Bade stated that discussions are underway to hold the winter session in the hall behind the municipality for now, and there is a long-term need to build a permanent structure in a new location.

“The six-month period stipulated by the constitution will not be exceeded. We will operate within the law and procedure,” he said. “Although informal discussions are taking place on this matter, a formal decision will be made only after a clear framework for the federal government emerges.” Minister Bade indicated that more clarity on this would emerge in the next two to three days. He added that due to some technical complexities at the federal level, it has been difficult for the province to make immediate decisions, but all processes will gain momentum in a few days.

“Leadership change after Chaitra”: Thapliya

CPN-UML Bagmati Province Parliamentary Party leader Jagannath Thapliya stated that the Provincial Assembly meeting should be called immediately. He clarified that the delay in convening the meeting should not happen, as the issues of the people are being sidelined due to the long hiatus of the Provincial Assembly meeting.

Thapliya stated that the government should not postpone the parliamentary session by citing problems with physical infrastructure (the hall). He attributed the delay in calling the Provincial Assembly meeting to the Chief Minister waiting for the federal government formation process.

“Our continuous pressure is that the parliament should be called soon. We are also in discussions. Friends in the government have said that it is difficult to call the meeting citing problems with the hall and time, but the platform for the people to raise their issues and for the parliamentarians to voice matters from their constituencies should not be obstructed like this,” he said.

Thapliya stated that there is no issue among the ruling coalition partners regarding the selection of the Speaker. He explained that there is a clear arrangement where the Speaker goes to one party based on the power balance, while the Chief Minister belongs to another.

He stated that the UML will take the leadership of the government after the month of Chaitra, as there was a written agreement within the ruling coalition for the leadership to be shared equally for half the term. He added that political developments will take a new turn in a short time as the UML has made its stance clear on the change in provincial government leadership and the effectiveness of the parliament.

“The Chief Minister has said that things will move forward only after the federal government is formed. However, the parliament session will convene and new processes will move forward towards the end of Chaitra or the beginning of Baisakh,” Thapliya said. “The time for the Nepali Congress to lead is only until Chaitra. After that, the leadership comes to the UML based on the old understanding, and this matter is in writing.”