President Bidya Devi Bhandari on July 2 prorogued the ongoing Budget Session of the Parliament, reports Kathmandu Post. “I have prorogued the current season of both the Houses pursuant to Article 93 (2) of the Constitution of Nepal from 5pm Thursday as per the recommendation of the Cabinet,” reads a statement issued by President Bhandari. A Cabinet meeting earlier had recommended prorogation of the current session of the House. Bhandari prorogued the session within a few hours of the Cabinet's recommendation. The Budget Session that started on May 8 is the sixth session of the federal Parliament. Though the Parliament completed its constitutional obligation of endorsing the national budget, many crucial bills are still awaiting approval.
Meanwhile, expressing serious concern over the abrupt decision to prorogue the ongoing Budget Session, the main opposition party, Nepali Congress (NC), on July 2 said that the latest move of the Government showed that it is not serious about addressing the difficult situation brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, reports Republica. NC Spokesperson Bishwa Prakash Sharma in a statement said “The dispute within the ruling party is one thing. But it is not only unfortunate but also objectionable to see the negative effects of the intra-party disputes within a political party in the house session. It was necessary for parliament as a whole to forge a common view and revise the strategies to move ahead in order to tackle the global pandemic of COVID-19 that has already taken the lives of many and infected thousands of others. But the government has shown sheer indifference toward that by taking the abrupt decision to prorogue house sessions.”