Although the government has presented the national budget for the upcoming fiscal year in the federal parliament, its deliberations and endorsement face a tough road ahead, with the opposition firm on Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak’s resignation to allow the House to function.

Putting their views in Friday’s Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting called to finalise the House of Representatives calendar for a month, lawmakers from opposition parties said they would not allow Parliament to function before the minister steps down.

The opposition bloc has been obstructing House proceedings since Tuesday, alleging Lekhak’s involvement in the visit visa scam. They, however, allowed the government to present the budget on Thursday, saying they would not block a constitutional process. As per the Constitution of Nepal, the national budget must be presented on Jestha 15, every year, which fell on Thursday this year.

“Lekhak’s resignation, followed by the formation of a panel to investigate his involvement in the scam, is our bottom line to lift the House obstruction. We made it clear in the BAC meeting that budget discussions cannot start without meeting our demands,” said Santosh Pariyar, Rastriya Swatantra Party chief whip.

The BAC meeting, however, has endorsed the lower house’s calendar until June 26 with a plan to start budget discussions on June 3 and put the budget-related bills to a vote on June 24. “The ball is in the court of the government and the ruling parties. If they want the House to function as per the calendar, our demands need to be addressed before the next meeting.”

A meeting of the CPN (Maoist Centre) office bearers also decided to continue the obstruction until Lekhak’s resignation. “The home minister’s resignation is necessary for a fair investigation against him. Our party has decided to continue the obstruction,” said Agni Sapkota, the party’s spokesperson, adding that a parliamentary party meeting has been called for June 2 to devise the party's strategy in the House.

The ruling parties, however, argue that the opposition is making a mountain of a molehill. “The opposition needs to cooperate in moving the House forward. Obstructing Parliament by turning even minor issues into major controversies is not helpful. It poses a challenge to strengthening the parliamentary system,” said Mahesh Bartaula, CPN-UML chief whip. “I believe they will cooperate in allowing the House to function. They will not set the wrong precedent.”

On May 22, the Commission for Investigation on Abuse of Authority raided the Tribhuvan International Airport Immigration Office following complaints of visit visa manipulation. Lekhak has been dragged into controversy after the constitutional anti-graft body detained the chief of immigration office, Tirtharaj Bhattarai, who is a joint-secretary under the home ministry, and seized vital documents.

Following Bhattarai’s arrest, the anti-graft body has also begun investigating staff from the home minister’s secretariat, raising questions about Lekhak’s moral responsibility in the case.

Bhattarai was taken into CIAA custody a day after being transferred from the airport to the Ministry of Home Affairs. The anti-graft body claims to have uncovered evidence indicating that individuals were sent abroad on visit visas in exchange for large sums of money, in collusion with Bhattarai. Bhattarai’s transfer to the home ministry while he was under investigation has fuelled suspicions of higher authorities’ involvement in the scam.

Lekhak, however, has rubbished the allegations, questioning how he can be held responsible for an act he never committed. He has been arguing that there is no point in demanding his resignation when there is no complaint against him and no agency is investigating him.

Despite the opposition's pressure, the UML and the Nepali Congress are adamant that neither will Lekhak resign nor will a probe committee be formed.