House Session Disrupted by Visa Scandal; Economic Survey Postponed

The House of Representatives session scheduled for Tuesday was disrupted following a heated protest by opposition parties over the alleged misuse of visit visas at Tribhuvan International Airport. The opposition accused the involvement of Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak in a large-scale human trafficking operation carried out through an organized setting within the Immigration Department.

The opposition demanded the immediate resignation of the Home Minister and called for the formation of a high-level independent investigation commission. The session, originally called to unveil the Economic Survey for the fiscal year 2081/82, could not proceed as planned due to the uproar.

Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire attempted to continue the session, but the ongoing chants and protests from opposition lawmakers forced the house to adjourn. Despite a temporary suspension for 30 minutes, no political consensus was reached, and the session was ultimately postponed.

The Parliament Secretariat issued an official notice announcing that the next House session is now scheduled for Wednesday, May 28 (Jestha 14), at 11:00 AM. However, doubts remain over whether that session will proceed smoothly, as the opposition remains firm on their demand for the Home Minister’s resignation before allowing any parliamentary business to move forward.

If consensus is not reached in time, the government may be forced to release the Economic Survey outside the parliament. Constitutionally, the national budget for the fiscal year 2082/83 must be presented in Parliament on Jestha 15 .