The ruling and opposition parties have yet again failed to finalise the terms of reference (ToR) for the proposed parliamentary panel to investigate the multi-billion-rupee cooperative scam.

A meeting of the four-member panel led by Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Padam Giri on Thursday could not agree on the ToR as they remain sharply divided on whether to mention the name of Rabi Lamichhane, deputy prime minister and minister for home affairs, in the ToR.

The four-member panel was formed on May 18 after an agreement among the top leaders of the major parties to constitute the parliamentary committee to investigate the issue.

As in the previous meetings, the Nepali Congress was firm on its demand that the investigation against Lamichhane, in the capacity as then managing director of Gorkha Media Network, where the money from four different cooperatives was injected, should be the focus of the probe panel.

The ruling parties on the other hand wanted a committee to probe the problems facing the entire cooperatives sector including those with links to Lamichhane—but without specifically naming the deputy prime minister, who also is the chair of Rastriya Swatantra Party.

“It is clear that investigation of cases, not an individual, should be the focus of the parliamentary committee. If some individuals are involved in misdeeds, they will automatically come under its scanner,” Mahesh Bartaula, CPN-UML chief whip who is also a member of the Giri-led panel, told the Post.

“Our refusal to form a committee specifically to investigate Rabi Lamichhane is not about protecting him, but about avoiding setting a precedent of forming committees targeting an individual.”

The ruling party leaders present in the meeting claimed that though no agreement was reached, the Congress had softened its stance during Thursday’s meeting compared to the past. Bartuala said they hope for a breakthrough on Friday.

The meeting of the ToR drafting committee has been slated for 8:30 am on Friday, hours before the meeting of the House of Representatives.

The Congress leaders, however, refuse to accept that they have softened their stance. They say the investigation against Lamichhane is their bottom line. “There has been no progress so far. However, we are open to discussions,” Ramesh Lekhak, the Congress chief whip, told the Post. “Let’s see what happens tomorrow [Friday].”

In the meeting, the ruling party lawmakers had agreed to list out the names of the cooperatives which provided money to the Gorkha Media, for the investigation but without mentioning Lamichhane’s name. They had said they can list out Surya Darshan Cooperative of Pokhara, Sahara Cooperative of Chitwan, Birgunj’s Sano Paila Cooperative and Supreme Cooperative of Butwal in the broader investigation.

However, they in return demanded that the probe committee be allowed to dig up possible misuse of deposits in the cooperatives that have been declared crisis-ridden.

They want this as some cooperatives like Laligurans, which have been declared crisis-ridden, are owned by the Congress leaders.

Ruling party leaders accuse the Congress of being selective and unwilling to resolve the problems facing the cooperative sector in their entirety.

As per a probable agenda for Friday’s House meeting, the government wants the programmes and policies to be endorsed after deliberations. In the past three meetings, the Speaker has been pushing ahead the House business using marshals to contain the protest by Congress lawmakers.

Endorsement of the policies and programmes is necessary before presenting the national budget for the upcoming fiscal year. There is a constitutional obligation to present the budget on Tuesday.

However, if the Congress continues its protest, the government may opt to bring the budget through ordinance instead of presenting budget-related bills in Parliament. “We want to present the budget in the House, but it all depends on whether the opposition parties will allow it,” said Bartaula. “Ordinance will be our last resort.”