Parliament session delayed

The first session of the reinstated House of Representatives (HoR) has been deferred for the later in the day.

According to the parliament secretariat, the session that was to kick off at 1 p.m. has been delayed till later in the day.

The meeting is taking place after four years after His Majesty the King reinstated the dissolved House of Representatives (HoR) on Monday, dissolved on May 22, 2002 as per the roadmap of the seven major opposition parties.Mainwhile The swearing-in of the newly appointed Prime Minister, Girija Prasad Koirala, has been delayed due to his ill health.

The swearing-in ceremony has been delayed after doctors attending Koirala advised him for rest, NC sources said. However, the doctors have said he might be able to attend the ceremony and the first session of the reinstated House of Representatives in the afternoon as his health is gradually improving. The swearing-in ceremony was to take place at 9:30 this morning at the Narayanhiti Royal Palace.Nepali Congress (NC) sources said there is still not much improvement in the health of 84-yr-old Koirala who has been ill for the last couple of days.

“Girija Babu is ill. It is very much unlikely that he will attend today’s meet of the Parliament,” NC General Secretary Ram Chandra Paudel, who reached Koirala’s residence to collect a written message from Koirala to be read out before the HoR told Repoters.“He couldn’t even attend the swearing-in ceremony.”

By 2:45 pm, almost all members of the reinstated House had arrived at the Gallery Baithak of the Parliament where the meet will take place. A few MPs are yet to arrive.

Besides the announcement of constituent assembly elections, which the SPA says will be the main agenda of the revived House, it will also form a “powerful commission” to take action against those who tried to suppress the recent popular movement and provide compensation to the families of those who lost their lives and the injured of the popular movement.

Removing the terrorist tag and red corner notice imposed on the Maoists, reciprocating the rebels’ unilateral ceasefire and inviting them for talks to form an interim government are also the agendas of priority.

Nepali Congress- Democratic (NC-D), the breakaway faction of the NC, has been given the status of a separate party in the Parliament though it does not have the 40% of the total parliamentarians of the mother party, as required by the Act related to the Parliament.

Out of the total 205 members, only 202 MPs will be attending today’s meet. While the NC has expelled two of its MPs, Prakash Koirala and Narayan Singh Pun for supporting the royal government, UML parliamentarian Hem Narayan Yadav was killed a few years back.

Most of the parliamentarians present in today’s meet are not in the national dress, which was mandatory in previous meetings of the parliament.