Far western provincial house deadlock nears resolution as parties move toward agreement

Dhangadhi: Political parties have made progress in discussions to reopen the blocked Far Western Provincial House, with agreements nearing finalization.

On Tuesday, separate meetings were held at the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers and the Office of the Speaker to resolve the deadlock that has persisted for several days. An all-party meeting called by Chief Minister Kamal Bahadur Shah discussed the reopening of the Provincial House, with parties almost reaching an agreement, according to the Chief Whip of the opposition party, CPN (Unified Socialist).

Opposition parties CPN (Maoist Centre), CPN (Unified Socialist), RPP, and Swatantra have been obstructing the Provincial House, demanding a reduction in unnecessary government expenditures. Due to these protests, the ongoing Barkha session (fifth session) has been stalled.

Chief Minister Shah, in his second attempt to resolve the impasse, called an all-party meeting after the first meeting ended without a conclusion. Nepali Congress Chief Whip Bikram Singh Dhami confirmed that an agreement has been reached to resume House proceedings soon.

Speaker Bhim Bahadur Bhandari has also called a Business and Consultative Committee meeting to facilitate discussions between the ruling and opposition parties. Tej Prakash Joshi, spokesperson for the Provincial Assembly Secretariat, stated that the committee meeting concluded that both sides must engage in direct dialogue to resolve the issue.

"The meeting has concluded that discussions between the government and opposition will soon provide a solution," said Joshi. "Once an agreement is reached, the Business Advisory Committee will reconvene, and the House will resume functioning."

The legislative process in the Provincial Assembly has remained largely inactive, with most of the passed laws being amendments rather than substantive new legislation. Man Bahadur Dhami, the parliamentary leader of the main opposition CPN (Maoist Centre), criticized the government for its lack of seriousness regarding House operations.