KATHMANDU, MAY 7

Lawmakers representing ruling parties and the main opposition party CPN-UML exchanged barbs in the House of Representatives over the fake Bhutanese refugees scam.

On the first day of the budget session, CPN-Maoist Centre lawmaker Madhav Sapkota said in the HoR that if the UML was honest about punishing those people that are guilty in the fake Bhutanese refugees scam, they should not ridicule the PM, Rather, they should ensure that Top Bahadur Rayamajhi submits to the law.

Nepali Congress lawmaker Ramhari Khatiwada said that whoever may be guilty in the fake Bhutanese refugees' scam should be punished for the crime. He said his name was also dragged into the controversy but he was ready to face punishment if the allegations against him proved true. He said: There is a proverb that the loudest one is the guilty one. Whoever is guilty in the fake Bhutanese refugees scam should be ready to face the law and they should not thump the table in the House. He demanded to know what action would be taken against those that were trying to protect the accused persons.

CPN (Unified Socialist) lawmaker Metmani Chaudhary said that all the people who were involved in the fake Bhutanese refugees scam, including ministers and the prime minister should be probed.

Nepali Congress lawmaker Sunil Sharma said pressure was being exerted on the fake Bhutanese refugee scam accused to change their statement before public prosecutors and that at least the statements of two of the accused should be recorded before the House. He, however, did not name the two accused. UML lawmaker Top Bahadur Rayamajhi is one of the high profile leaders who has been accused in the fake Bhutanese refugees scam.

UML Chief Whip Padam Giri said the fake Bhutanese refugees scam was not a new issue and in fact UML lawmaker Parvati Rawal had raised the issue in the Upper House on September 7, but the government did not pay attention to it. "We demand that the government open all corruption files," he added. He also demanded that the government probe the cantonment scam, several land scams, and unauthorised entry of outsiders in the finance ministry to tweak the tax rates in the budget. CPN-MC itself was accused of misusing state fund by showing fake numbers of combatants in the cantonment.

Finance Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat today tabled a proposal seeking pre-budget discussion in both Houses from tomorrow. There are 14 bills under consideration of the Parliament - four in the Upper House and 10 bills in the House of Representatives, according to Assistant Spokesperson of the Parliament Secretariat Dasharath Dhamala.