Kathmandu: The major political parties represented in parliament have reached an agreement to establish a special parliamentary committee tasked with investigating the tampering of the ‘cooling-off period’ in the Federal Civil Service Bill. This decision was announced following a meeting held at Speaker Devaraj Ghimire’s residence, attended by chief whips and whips from the five major political parties.
According to National News Agency Nepal, Santosh Pariyar, Chief Whip of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, disclosed that the committee will consist of seven members. The composition will include two members each from the Nepali Congress and the CPN (UML), and one member each from the Nepal Communist Party (Maoist Centre), the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP).
The committee has been mandated to deliver its findings within 21 days of its formation. The Parliamentary Procedure Advisory Committee is responsible for finalizing the names of the committee members, who will then be presented during the House of Representatives session.
The issue arose when the House of Representatives State Affairs and Good Governance Committee passed the Bill with a two-year cooling-off period provision. However, discrepancies were discovered when the specific proviso was altered and presented differently upon enactment by the Lower House.