WITHOUT F EAR OR FAVOUR Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXIX No. 126 | 8 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 34.8 C 13.0 C Thursday, June 24, 2021 | 10-03-2078 Bhairahawa Jomsom Lawyers question President’s intent as hearing on House dissolution starts The way Bhandari acted on May 21 makes it clear that she wanted Oli—and no other person—as prime minister, advocates argue. Hence she rejected Deuba’s claim. BINOD GHIMIRE As many as 30 petitions, including one KATHMANDU, JUNE 23 by the opposition alliance led by Deuba, against the House dissolution When Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli have been filed at the Supreme Court. dissolved the House of Representatives The Constitutional Bench has said last December, lawyers arguing on it would first settle the petition filed behalf of the 13 petitioners demand- by Deuba, which is backed by 146 law- ing its restoration had questioned his makers, including 23 of Oli’s CPN- intention. They said that Oli dissolved UML, of the dissolved House. the House without exhausting all the The opposition alliance has constitutional provisions for forming demanded that the House be restored a government. and Deuba appointed prime minister Months later, after Oli dissolved the because he had presented the signa- House for a second time on May 21, tures of 149 lawmakers before the lawyers on Wednesday questioned President on the afternoon of May 21, President Bidya Devi Bhandari’s laying claim to the government. intention for endorsing the dissolu- After Prime Minister Oli lost a con- tion recommendation. fidence vote on May 10, the President The House dissolution recommenda- appointed him prime minister again tion on May 21 followed President on May 13 as per Article 76 (3) of the Bhandari’s move of disqualifying constitution. Oli needed to win the POST PHOTO: ELITE JOSHI claims by Nepali Congress President confidence of the House within 30 Chandeshwar Pandey embroiders a figure of Ganesh, a Hindu god, on a piece of cloth at Swayambhu, Kathmandu. The 56-year-old, who has Sher Bahadur Deuba and Oli him- days—by June 12—as per Article 76 been honing his embroidery skill for more than three decades, sells the artwork for a living. self to form a government under (4). But instead of seeking a vote, Oli Article 76 (5) of the constitution. on May 20 recommended that the “Bhandari’s rejection of Deuba’s President call for the formation of a claim makes it clear that she didn’t new government as per Article 76 (5). want anybody except KP Sharma On May 21, Deuba staked his claim Oli as prime minister,” said advo- to government with signatures of 149 INSIDE Testing times for the Janata cate Govinda Bandi on Wednesday lawmakers—61 of Nepali Congress, 49 while arguing on behalf of the of Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Siltation in Kaligandaki affects petitioners against the House dis- Centre), 26 of a UML faction, 12 of a Samajbadi Party, as a faction solution. faction of Janata Samajbadi Party settlements and arable land The final hearing on the House and one from Rastriya Janamorcha. dissolution began on Wednesday. >> Continued on page 2 MYAGDI: Decades of siltation on the Kaligandaki riverbed and the simul- supporting Oli faces setback taneous erosion of its riverbanks have put the settlements along the river in Mustang at risk of floods and Thakur-Mahato group’s ministers lost their jobs after inundation. “Kaligandaki in Mustang is an aggrading river, as it collects Tuesday’s court order, but division in the party is so deep sediment and deposits it in the river, leading to increase in its bed height. that a formal split looks like just a matter of time. The swift tributary streams that merge into the river bring debris while flowing through the higher reaches. When the debris reaches downstream, it settles down and piles up over the years,” said Jhalak Mohan Ojha, the chief at the Drinking Water, Water Resources and Irrigation Sub-Division Office in Mustang. The Kaligandaki turns shallow and slow as it meanders south through the hills and moun- tains and loses its ability to wash the debris away. (Details on Pg 2) Anti-graft body files Rs1 billion graft case against three for granting illegal tax waivers KATHMANDU: The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority on Wednesday filed an additional cor- FILE PHOTO: RSS The Supreme Court relieved 20 ministers, who were appointed less than three weeks ago, of ruption case at the Special Court their duties. against former officer bearers of the Tax Settlement Commission for alleg- ANIL GIRI edly causing financial losses to the others were appointed ministers and KATHMANDU, JUNE 23 state while settling tax liabilities of state ministers. On June 10, Raj dozens of businesses. Former direc- Kishwor Yadhav was appointed a min- tor general of the Inland Revenue Tuesday’s Supreme Court order ister in the Oli Cabinet. Department Chudamani Sharma, quashing KP Sharma Oli’s two expan- Tula Narayan Shah, a political who was a member of the Tax sions of his Council of Ministers after observer who has followed Madhes Settlement Commission, its chairper- the May 21 House dissolution has left politics for long, says Tuesday’s court son Lumba Dhwaj Mahat and mem- the Mahantha Thakur-Rajendra order won’t narrow down the gap ber Umesh Prasad Dhakal again face Mahato faction of the Janata between the two factions of the Janata corruption charges for a second time Samajbadi Party stunned. Samajbadi. in nearly four years in the same As many as 10 ministers and two “A split is inevitable,” Shah told scam. The anti-graft body on ministers of state of the faction lost the Post. Wednesday filed the case accusing their jobs in less than three weeks. For now, both factions are likely to them of embezzling over Rs1 billion. But the setback is not just that the try to consolidate strength, as they Commission spokesperson Narayan faction is not in the government any- wait for the Supreme Court to pass a Prasad Risal said a new case was filed more. The faction’s decision to sup- decision on the May 21 House dissolu- against the trio as the earlier investi- port Oli has sowed the seeds of divi- tion. The Constitutional Bench start- gation had not incorporated all the sion in the party, and it looks like the ed the final hearing on petitions decisions taken by the Tax Settlement Janata Samajbadi has reached the against the House dissolution on point of no return. Wednesday. Commission. (Details on Pg 3) Analysts say the party was already “Even if the House is reinstated, headed for a split and the court order more manoeuvrings are likely, which State-owned companies end is not going to change anything. would rather increase the possibility According to them, the Janata of a split in the Janata Samajbadi,” discounts on groceries Samajbadi Party is going through a said Shah. “As national politics is KATHMANDU: State-owned Salt Trading testing time just a little over a year completely polarised, it will definitely Corporation and Food Management after it came up as a united force. have an impact on small parties like and Trading Company have with- Oli started to cultivate the Janata Janata Samajbadi.” drawn discounts on groceries citing Samajbadi Party after his earlier There are many who believe the the end of the lockdown, while the House dissolution of December 20 formation of the Janata Samajbadi Finance Ministry says it has given no was overturned by the Supreme itself was not organic. A merger such instruction as the pandemic per- Court. The Thakur-Mahato faction between the Rastriya Janata Party sists. The two companies have been rose to Oli’s bait that he would address Nepal, led by Thakur and Mahato, and selling selected food products with a the party’s long-standing concerns, Samajbadi Party Nepal, led by Yadav 20 percent discount, which they including constitutional amendments and Bhattarai, was prompted by Oli’s stopped from Tuesday after the gov- and the release of some of party mem- decision to issue an ordinance in April ernment eased virus restrictions. bers and cadres, including Resham last year. Mahesh Acharya, spokesperson for Chaudhary. The ordinance on Political Parties the Finance Ministry, said they had The Upendra Yadav-Baburam Act aimed at easing party splits and written to the Ministry of Industry, Bhattarai faction, however, was suspi- registration of new parties. The two Commerce and Supplies on June 15 to cious. When Oli went for a floor test on parties decided to merge to pre-empt continue the discount offers on food May 10, the division in Janata any split. items until further notice. “Last Samajbadi was clear. The Yadav- Observers say Oli, who became the Monday, we reminded the Industry Bhattarai faction (15) voted against, cause of the merger last year, has now Ministry to maintain reduced prices,” the Thakur-Mahato group (17) stayed become the cause of the split. he added. (Details on Pg 5) neutral. On June 4, Mahato and eight >> Continued on page 2 C M Y K THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021 | 02 NATIONAL Survivors of Melamchi Siltation in Kaligandaki river affects floods wait to see settlements and arable lands in Mustang missing family members Erosion of the banks and siltation gain momentum during the monsoon, which can lead to floods and inundation. ANISH TIWARI floods. But many have gone missing in GHANSHYAM KHADKA HELAMBU (SINDHUPALCHOK), JUNE 23 last week’s floods. I was one of the MYAGDI, JUNE 23 lucky few who survived when the Chitra Kumari and her daughter were floods hit the farm in Kiul,” said Decades of siltation on the rescued by Kumari’s husband from Uttam Mani Bhandari, a fish farm Kaligandaki riverbed and the simulta- the flooded Melamchi river on July 15 operator in Helambu Ward No.