UML Also Demands Resignation

Kathmandu. Due to a controversial amendment in the Federal Civil Service Bill regarding the “cooling-off period” provision, Ramhari Khatiwada, Chairperson of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee under the House of Representatives, is now under pressure to resign.

The ruling party CPN-UML has also demanded Khatiwada’s resignation from the committee chair. Major opposition parties including the CPN (Maoist Centre), Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) have all called for a thorough investigation and strong action, along with Khatiwada’s resignation. Even leaders from Khatiwada’s own party, Nepali Congress, have stated that the alteration in the bill is a serious matter and those involved must be held accountable. Since the committee chair bears the ultimate moral responsibility, Khatiwada’s position appears to be in jeopardy.

In today’s committee meeting, UML MP and former Law Minister Padam Giri accused Khatiwada and committee secretary Suraj Kumar Dura of deliberately altering the final report of the bill. He demanded the resignation of both.

Giri said, “The committee spent months deliberating and unanimously agreed on a two-year cooling-off period. However, in the final report, the inclusion of the word ‘except’—inserted through interference by the chair and the secretary—changed the intent entirely. This act is not only shameful but also a serious attack on democratic procedure.”

He further stated that both Khatiwada and Dura should take full responsibility and step down on moral grounds. “The secretary can no longer remain in office either,” Giri added.

MP Giri also remarked that the discussions and decisions made in the committee were distorted in a non-transparent manner, calling it one of the gravest breaches in Nepal’s parliamentary history.