KATHMANDU, Aug 13: Ramhari Khatiwada has resigned from his position as Chairperson of the Parliamentary State Affairs and Good Governance Committee. He announced his resignation during Tuesday’s meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR).
Following Khatiwada’s resignation, there is uncertainty regarding what actions will be taken against the employees whom the investigative committee had deemed ‘morally responsible.’ Since disciplinary action against employees cannot be taken without approval from the Public Service Commission, the committee’s report described these employees as ‘morally responsible’ but did not specify punitive measures.
Before resigning, Khatiwada met with Speaker Devraj Ghimire and Nepali Congress (NC) Chief Whip Shyam Kumar Ghimire. The parliamentary committee formed to investigate manipulations in the cooling-off period provision of the Federal Civil Service Bill had held Khatiwada morally accountable.
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At the HoR rostrum while announcing his resignation, Khatiwada claimed he had practiced politics with integrity. “In times when integrity is lacking in politics, I want my name to be recorded in history. I urge everyone to pay attention to such matters. The committee endured much hardship while passing the federal civil service bill.”
He added, “You all witnessed the power plays and tactics surrounding the bill. I, the parliamentary committee, and the House had to endure pressure. Committee members sitting in parliament also faced some troubles,” Khatiwada said during his resignation announcement. He also informed parliament that he had returned all facilities, including vehicles, on the very day the errors in the bill were identified.
Khatriwada stated. “From the beginning, I insisted that a two-year cooling-off period should be included. The committee agreed, approved it, and forwarded it to parliament.”
He acknowledged that errors occurred while drafting the bill’s report but maintained, “The errors were not from me or the committee. I trust such errors will not happen again.” He accused certain senior officials of manipulation during the report drafting and questioned whether the mistake was his alone or also parliament’s.
He reiterated that he had no personal interest in rendering the cooling-off period ineffective and that the investigative committee had not found him guilty. “The report did not convict Ramhari Khatiwada,” he said. “I have been disciplined by my guru, Kisunji. Today, I prioritize the question above the position. Honorable Speaker, I hereby announce my resignation with a smile as Chairperson of the Committee.”
The investigative report passed by the State Affairs Committee and presented to the House bore the signatures of Chairperson Khatiwada and Secretary Suraj Kumar Dura. Hence, the probe committee included their names in the report.
Similarly, the report mentioned that Chief Secretary of government Eknarayan Aryal and other employees were under moral pressure to remove the cooling-off period.
The HoR had formed a special investigative committee on June 7 to look into the matter. The committee included Jeevan Pariyar and Sushila Thing from NC; Narayan Prasad Acharya and Ishwari Gharti from CPN-UML; Madhav Sapkota from CPN (Maoist Center); Ganesh Parajuli from the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP); and Roshan Karki from the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP).
