Leaders from the ruling parties say that during their meeting on Monday, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli proposed removing Deputy Speaker Indira Rana from her position, citing conduct unbecoming of her office.

Deputy Speaker Rana had landed in controversy after it emerged that she had requested visa interview dates from the US Embassy for individuals unrelated to her official role.

On February 26 last year, Deputy Speaker Rana wrote a letter to the US Embassy requesting visa interviews for herself and five others. She has been facing pressure to step down after the letter was leaked two months ago.

In the letter, Rana requested the embassy to expedite interview dates for six people, including herself. The others named in the letter were Dipendra Gautam, Sushma Lama, Rajesh Lama Tamang, Sujan Magar, and Dhan Prasad Gurung.

Rana had written that she wanted the interview dates to be preponed as they were attending the 67th Commission on the Status of Women session, scheduled in New York from March 6 to 17, 2023.

“Writing a letter to the embassy to reschedule visa interviews is not something someone in her position should do,” Bhimarjun Acharya, a constitutional expert, told the Post. “But whether the allegation is sufficient to warrant her removal is still up for debate.”

After the UML’s main partner in the ruling coalition, the Nepali Congress, became positive on the proposal of Prime Minister Oli, the fringe parties in the coalition decided to align with the decision of the two largest parties, according to a ruling party leader who was present in the meeting.

“Prime Minister Oli proposed removing Deputy Speaker Rana, saying that her conduct was incompatible with her position,” Abdul Khan, a Janamat Party lawmaker who was present at the meeting, told the Post. “By Wednesday, the proposal to remove Deputy Speaker Rana will be filed in Parliament.”

Khan added that she is likely to be removed from her post by the end of this (Nepali) month (mid-September).

But Chief Whip of the Congress and the UML, Shyam Kumar Ghimire and Mahesh Bartaula, respectively, denied that a proposal to remove the Deputy Speaker will be filed in Parliament on Wednesday.

During the ruling parties’ meeting on Monday, Prime Minister Oli had discussed various issues related to Parliament and the role of ruling parties’ lawmakers. Among the issues discussed was the Deputy Speaker’s questionable conduct, Bartaula says.

“Although the ruling parties only discussed the issues related to the Deputy Speaker, the way Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) lawmaker behaved in Tuesday’s House session has pushed the ruling parties to resolve the matter decisively,” Bartaula, the chief whip of the UML, told the Post. “Opposition parties have used some media to spread false information about the government’s actions. Since the issue has been raised we will resolve it soon.”

After months of heated debate, the ruling parties are now considering that Deputy Speaker Rana’s conduct is not compatible with her office, in line with Article 91 of the Constitution of Nepal, and have urged her to step down from her position.

Article 91 (6)(c) of the Constitution stipulates that the office of the Speaker or Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives shall become vacant if a resolution is passed by a majority of two-thirds of the total number of the then members of the House of Representatives that his or her conduct is not compatible with the office.

The ruling parties command a two-thirds majority in Parliament, which is needed to remove the Deputy Speaker. In the 275-strong assembly, ruling parties need the support of 184 lawmakers to achieve a two-thirds majority. The Congress (88), UML (77 excluding the Speaker), Janata Samajbadi Party (7), Janamat Party (6), Loktantrik Samjbadi Party (4), and Nagarik Unmukti Party (4) together have 186 lawmakers, which is more than enough to secure the two-thirds majority.

Although the process planned by the parties to remove the Deputy Speaker resembles impeachment, the constitution does not specifically term it as such.

Ekram Giri, the spokesperson of the House, said should the ruling parties file a complaint against the Deputy Speaker, it must be supported by the signatures of one-fourth of the total strength of the House, or 69 of the 275 lawmakers.

If Rana is removed, it would be the first time in Nepal's parliamentary history that a sitting Deputy Speaker is ousted with a two-thirds majority, says Damannath Dhungana, a former Speaker of the House.

The proposal to remove Rana has again heated up the country’s political landscape.

During the House meeting on Tuesday, the main opposition CPN (Maoist Centre), and the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), on whose quota Rana was elected Deputy Speaker, criticised the ruling parties’ plan as unacceptable.

The RSP has been staunchly defending Deputy Speaker Rana. The party has accused the ruling parties of trying to scandalise the issue with the ulterior motive of ousting her.

The RSP claims that the Congress and UML want to replace Rana with one of their own lawmakers after losing their majority in the Constitutional Council. In addition to her roles in the legislature, Rana is a member of the council, which elects the chiefs and members of constitutional bodies including the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

The Constitutional Council, headed by the prime minister, includes the Chief Justice, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the chair of the National Assembly, the leader of the main opposition in the House of Representatives, and the Deputy Speaker.

Currently, the UML, which leads the coalition government with the Congress and some fringe parties, holds two seats on the Constitutional Council—Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and House Speaker Devraj Ghimire (who mandatorily stepped down from party positions upon appointment). The CPN (Maoist Centre) is equally represented in the council, with Maoist Centre chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the opposition leader, and National Assembly chair Narayan Prasad Dahal as members.

RSP leaders say that removing Deputy Speaker Rana would allow the ruling coalition to appoint one of their own lawmakers to secure a majority in the council, even if the Chief Justice stays neutral in constitutional appointments.

“It is unacceptable for the political parties to conspire to remove the Deputy Speaker using majority power,” Santosh Pariyar, the chief whip of the RSP, said in Parliament on Tuesday. “The way two of the largest parties intend to move ahead will undermine the principles of democracy.”

Former Speaker Dhungana, speaking to the Post, says, “The accusation against the Deputy Speaker will have political and social implications; I hope the ruling parties calculate these correctly before making such a momentous decision.”