The main opposition Nepali Congress obstructed the proceedings of the House of Representatives on the first day of the budget session on Friday to press its demand for a parliamentary investigation into Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane for his alleged role in the cooperatives scam.

The party also said it will continue the obstruction until the House forms a committee to investigate Lamichhane and the problems of the cooperative sector.

At the start of the session, Congress lawmakers rose from their seats and chanted slogans until the Speaker asked Congress General Secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa to make a brief statement. Speaking from his seat, Thapa accused the ruling parties of trying to silence questions in Parliament and warned that his party would not tolerate such attempts.

Similarly, leader of the parliamentary party of the Nepali Congress in the National Assembly House, Krishna Prasad Sitaula, also reiterated on Friday that the party will disrupt proceedings of the upper house until the government announces the investigation committee.

Following Thapa’s warning, the Speaker stopped the House proceeding for 15 minutes and held a discussion with the chief whips of major parties in an attempt to end the stalemate.

In the evening, the Speaker resumed the House session and announced that the home minister wanted to make a statement. However, the Congress lawmakers immediately rushed towards the rostrum and prevented the home minister from speaking. Speaker Ghimire then adjourned the session until Tuesday.

Police and other state bodies have come up with various probe reports showing Lamichhane’s involvement in cooperative scams. In the latest development, a report of a probe committee formed by the Pokhara Metropolitan City on Thursday revealed that the Suryadarshan Savings and Credit Cooperatives had issued a loan of Rs10 million in the name of Lamichhane based on a form he filled up to borrow the amount.

The transaction details were found when the panel investigated complaints of embezzlement of savings worth Rs1.35 billion by 18,700 members of the cooperative.

Lamichhane, however, on Friday denied the allegation of applying for the loan at the Pokhara-based cooperative.

The Congress also accused the home minister of influencing state organs including the Office of the Attorney General to forestall investigation into the cooperative scam.

“The home minister is facing accusations of embezzling millions of rupees from several cooperatives, yet no case has been filed against him. Also, there has not been any investigation. The prime minister lied to the House. The office of the attorney general was influenced. Should I submit evidence of the home minister taking millions of rupees in loans from various cooperatives? We are demanding a probe committee and until it is formed, we will not allow the House to conduct its business,” said Thapa, speaking in the House on Friday afternoon.

However, the ruling parties, including the home minister, have consistently rubbished the demand for such a committee.

“I am ready to quit politics, if I have taken any loan from a cooperative,” Lamichhane told reporters outside the Parliament building. “Are you [Thapa] too prepared to do the same?”

Congress General Secretary Thapa also challenged Lamichhane to prove the allegations against him wrong through an investigation.

“Today Gaganji claimed he has evidence that I took loans. If I had indeed taken the loan, then I would quit politics. But would he be ready to do the same? Some media are spreading disinformation against me. If it is proven that I applied for the loan, I will quit politics,” said Lamichhane.

But Thapa challenged the home minister. “Come to the parliamentary committee,” said Thapa. “Please prove us wrong, and prove me and Nepali Congress wrong.”

The Congress leaders have accused the home minister of influencing state agencies, perhaps to destroy incriminating evidence against him.

“It has been established by the several inquiries that home minister Lamichhane has taken millions of loans from different cooperatives based in Pokhara, Chitwan and Pokhara,” said Thapa.

“Police have collected these proofs. With so much evidence, why is Lamichhane being let off the hook? Why is he avoiding investigation and obtaining a ‘clean chit’ from an unnecessary police department? According to the Cooperatives Act, no outsider can take loans from a cooperative without becoming its member, and cooperative funds cannot be used in profitable business. But Lamichhane was not a member of any of the cooperatives and the money he borrowed from the cooperatives was ‘illegally’ used to run a media house.”

During their meeting with the Speaker, the Congress stood firm in its demand.

The party also did not allow the Speaker to read out the letter issued by President Ramchandra Paudel.

Another opposition party, the Loktantrik Samajbadi Party, has also joined the Congress in demanding a parliamentary investigation against the home minister.

Earlier, on Friday morning, a meeting of the Congress parliamentary party had decided to disrupt both houses of parliament until its demand for parliamentary investigation was addressed.

Meanwhile, CPN-UML chair KP Oli said that the Congress targeted Lamichhane after he rejected the party’s offer to become prime minister. “Now the Congress is digging up dirt on him and playing the game of political vendetta.”

Oli was also speaking at the party’s parliamentary meeting on Friday morning.

“At present, the Nepali Congress is not demanding the home minister’s resignation, but it will make the demand soon after the parliamentary committee is formed, citing conflict of interest,” said Oli.

Both the Congress leaders, Thapa and Sitaula, also stated that the Congress has not demanded the resignation of the home minister.

A senior Congress leader said that the party is not going to drop the demand for parliamentary investigation into cooperatives scam until the issue is settled by Parliament.

“This is our red line. The government wants to bring new budget and policies and programmes, but it can do so through an ordinance also. We won’t allow the House to resume as easily as the ruling parties assume,” he said.