Minister Sharma against provisions that put PM in difficult situation to decide

Kathmandu: Minister for Communications and Information Technology Rekha Sharma has suggested the lawmakers not to include any provisions that would put the Prime Minister in a minority position while devising laws.

Addressing the meeting of the House of Representatives, State Affairs and Good-Governance Committee on Wednesday, Minister Sharma said so while deliberating on the Bill to amend the Constitutional Council (Functions, Duties, Powers and Procedures) Act-2066 BS.

The proposed Bill primarily focuses on revising the Council’s decision-making procedures and quorum requirements. A minimum of four members is considered a quorum for a Constitutional Council meeting where the Chairperson of the Council presides over the meeting.

During today’s meeting, Minister Sharma asserted, ‘It would be difficult if the provision on requirement of quorum puts Prime Minister in a tight spot. Let’s take forward the discussions on the issues in consensus of the Prime Minister.’

Minister Sharma suggested the Committee to finalize on the Bill at the earliest and work in such a manner that it could be presented in the next session of the parliament. Since there have been extensive discussions on the Bill in the past, today’s meeting agreed to conclude on the Bill in next meeting by considering deliberations on some important issues at top level.

The Committee members, recalling the history of the Committee that all the Bills that were tabled in the Committee had been endorsed unanimously, saw the need to finalize the proposed Bill in the next session of the parliament by forging consensus among the political parties.

They suggested that the Bill should be amended in such a manner that would put an end the trend of absenteeism and encourage attendance of its members in the Committee meeting. Some members underscored making a proper schedule to deliver well on the duties of the Bill that are presented in Committee.

They ranted that every governments in the past had attempted to make the Constitutional Council that would serve their interest which resulted in some wrongdoings.

They viewed that the qualifications and competence of the person entrusted with the responsibilities of the Council should not be questioned. The Committee currently has four Bills under deliberation.