Political unrest in Nepal: Parliament suspended and Home Minister resigned amid investigation into financial behaviour
Nepalese President Ramchandra Poudel on Thursday suspended sessions of both houses of the Federal Parliament without holding them, just days after calling for the session on April 30.Ritesh Kumar Shakya, spokesman for the President’s Office, said the President cited “special reasons” for suspending the work of the House of Representatives and the National Assembly on the recommendation of the government and the Cabinet. No further details were revealed.Senior Member of Parliament and leader of the Nepali Congress Party, Arjun Narsingh KC, described the government’s decision to suspend the Parliament session without holding it as “unprecedented and surprising.”
Political unrest is worsening
This development came a day after Interior Minister Sudan Gurung resigned on Wednesday following allegations related to his financial behavior while in office. Gurung announced his departure on Facebook, saying questions about his investments and other matters should be investigated.“For me, morality is greater than position, and there is no greater power than public confidence,” he wrote.Gurung came into the limelight after he ordered the arrest of former Prime Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Sharma Oli and his Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak regarding their roles during the crackdown on Generation Z protests last September.
The second minister to leave the month-old government
Gurung is the second minister to leave the newly formed government. On April 9, Prime Minister Balendra Shah sacked Labor Minister Deep Kumar Sah on the recommendation of the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party over allegations that he misused his position to appoint his wife to the Health Insurance Board.An aide told Reuters that Prime Minister Shah will now take over the Interior Ministry.Shah – popularly known as Palin – and his Rastriya Swatantra Party came to power in March, defeating traditional parties in the first general election since last year’s violent Generation Z protests that demanded generational change and a corruption-free system. The 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician became prime minister after his three-year-old party, which promised to control corruption and provide good governance, came to power.
