Speaker Devraj Ghimire met on Monday with Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Acting Chairman Dol Prasad Aryal and Chief Whip Santosh Pariyar to discuss ending the parliamentary obstruction.

Ghimire said the opposition’s disruption has held the Parliament hostage during a crucial period when budget discussions are needed, sending the wrong message to the public.

“The issues raised by the opposition are serious, so I allowed the Parliament to be deferred for two weeks to seek consensus. But now, there is no room for delay. As the Speaker, I must also consider constitutional limits,” Ghimire told the RSP leaders, according to a press note issued by the Speaker’s secretariat.

He informed RSP leaders that the National Assembly has asked to send the budget bills to the upper House by June 19, making it imperative to approve the budget regardless of the situation.

He urged RSP leaders to change their form of protest and promised to facilitate dialogue between the government and the opposition to resolve the impasse.

RSP, however, told the Speaker that their demands remain unaddressed and the government is not taking the issues seriously. “Our protest is necessary because the government has ignored our demands. We are not in a position to back down now,” RSP leaders said in response.

Meanwhile, the Speaker also held a meeting with chief whips of five major political parties after the RSP and RPP leaders insisted on their stance to obstruct the House proceedings.

The parliamentary obstruction began in late May, demanding Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak’s resignation over a visit visa scam investigation.

While the CPN (Maoist Centre) ended its obstruction after a two-point deal with the ruling parties that includes cooperation with the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) and reform of immigration policies, RSP and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party have rejected the agreement as insufficient and continued their protest.

RSP lawmakers have vowed to maintain the obstruction until an independent parliamentary or judicial inquiry committee is formed to investigate the visa scam. Meanwhile, RPP boycotted recent sessions.