A day after the ruling CPN-UML decided to press ahead with its plan to remove Deputy Speaker Indira Rana, another coalition partner, the Nepali Congress, threw its support behind the plan on Wednesday.

The parties have accused Rana of misconduct.

Deputy Speaker Rana, who was elected from the Rastriya Swatantra Party, had landed in controversy after it emerged that she in February last year had requested visa interview dates from the US Embassy for individuals unrelated to her official role.

After months of heated debate, the ruling parties now argue that Deputy Speaker Rana’s conduct does not meet the standards outlined in Article 91 of the Constitution of Nepal, and want her out.

A meeting of the senior party leaders of the Nepali Congress on Wednesday concluded that Rana had misused her post by writing directly to the US embassy.

“That is why we call on the Deputy Speaker to resign, otherwise we will initiate the process to remove her,” said party’s chief whip Shyam Ghimire, adding, “She made a blunder by writing to the Embassy in such a manner.”

“The process could take some days—possibly another two or three days,” said Ghimire.

On February 26 last year, 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 rescheduled to an earlier date as they were attending the 67th Commission on the Status of Women session, scheduled in New York from March 6 to 17, 2023.

The RSP leaders have also admitted that Rana misused her position by directly writing to the US Embassy, but argue that the ruling alliance has blown the issue out of proportion after 19 months.

The RSP and some fringe parties claim that the ruling parties want to have someone from the Nepali Congress as Deputy Speaker so that the alliance has an upper hand or absolute majority in the powerful Constitutional Council, which elects the chiefs and members of constitutional bodies including the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

The Congress, despite being the largest party in the House of Representatives, does not have representation in the Council.

Both the Congress and the UML have already gathered the necessary signatures to remove Rana if she refuses to step down.

Although the UML remains unified on the issue, that is however not the case in the Congress. A Congress faction led by Shekhar Koirala has expressed dissatisfaction with the plan to remove Rana.

Three Congress lawmakers—Shekhar Koirala, Sanjay Gautam, and Dig Bahadur Limbu—have yet to give their signatures to oust Rana, expressing concerns over the decision.

“What’s the reasoning and justification for removing her now?” Limbu told The Post. “We’re not against the removal, but we need a solid, convincing explanation. First, we want to understand the real reason behind her possible removal. Second, it should be thoroughly discussed in the party. Third, we don’t want a repeat of the hasty impeachment of outgoing Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana,” Limbu added.

The UML-Congress coalition is now preparing to register a motion against Rana in the House of Representatives.

Meanwhile, sources say Congress chief Sher Bahadur Deuba and UML chief Prime Minister Oli are working to convince Koirala, the Congress dissident leader, on their plan.

If Rana is removed, the post of Deputy Speaker is expected to go to the Congress, lending credibility to the claims of the RSP and other fringe parties.

Koirala’s faction is reportedly negotiating over the post. “Which is why the three lawmakers have not signed off yet,” a lawmaker close to Deuba told the Post. “If the post is given to the Koirala faction, they will agree within minutes,” the lawmaker added.

Congress chief whip Ghimire claims that Koirala does not have strong objections to the plan to remove the Deputy Speaker.

Congress General Secretary Gagan Thapa, who is from the Koirala camp, approved of removing Rana during Wednesday’s meeting of the current and former office bearers of the party.

But some parties within the ruling coalition, including the Rastriya Janamat Party, have expressed their dissatisfaction.

“There seems to be bad intent in the efforts to remove the Deputy Speaker,” said Raut in an interview given to the News Agency Nepal, a private news outlet, on Wednesday. “The ruling parties want to have a majority in the Constitutional Council.”

The 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 in the Council—Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and House Speaker Devraj Ghimire (who mandatorily stepped down from party positions upon appointment). The CPN (Maoist Centre) also has two seats, with the Maoist Centre chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the opposition leader, and National Assembly chair Narayan Prasad Dahal, as its members.

As members of the five-member Constitutional Council, the leader of the main opposition (Maoist Centre chief Dahal), the chairman of the National Assembly (Narayan Prasad Dahal, who is from Dahal’s party) and the Deputy Speaker Rana make it difficult for the prime minister to take majority-based decisions.

Meanwhile, Rabi Lamichanne, the RSP chairman, on Wednesday met Prime Minister Oli and warned him not to make the mistake of removing Rana. The Maoist Centre, likewise, has openly come out in support of Rana.

“We are not saying she is totally blameless or that she hasn’t made any mistakes. But why are the UML and the Congress acting now, after 19 months?” said Manish Jha, acting spokesperson of the RSP. “The RSP is open to investigating all cases. But there is no uniformity even in the ruling coalition on the decision to remove Rana,” said Jha.

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

“There is no problem in garnering a two-third support needed to remove her,” said a Congress leader. “The reason CK Raut is opposing the bid is that Upendra Yadav is supporting Rana’s removal. Yadav and Raut are arch-rivals in Madhesi politics. The prime minister will speak to those who are unhappy with the decision,” the Congress leader said.

“Since even the RSP has admitted that Rana has flouted the decorum and etiquette of her post, we have urged her to pave the way,” said Mahesh Bartuala, the chief whip of the UML. “Otherwise the law will take its natural course,” he told the Post.