The Speaker of the House of Representatives has formed a seven-member special committee to investigate the reported tampering with the 'cooling off period' provision in the Federal Civil Service Bill. Nepali Congress lawmaker Jeevan Pariyar has been named the convenor of the committee.

The special committee has two members each from the Nepali Congress and the UML, and one member each from the CPN (Maoist Centre), Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP).

The members are Jeevan Pariyar and Sushil Thing from the Nepali Congress; Narayan Prasad Acharya and Ishwari Gharti from the UML; Madhav Sapkota from the Maoist Centre; Ganesh Parajuli from the RSP, and Roshan Karki from the RPP.

After discussions with Speaker Devraj Ghimire on Monday, the parties submitted the names of their representatives. The Speaker's secretariat has since made the names public. The investigation committee has been given 21 days to complete its inquiry, and has been issued a 4-point directive.

The RSP, meanwhile, has stated that it cannot accept the leadership of the Nepali Congress in the parliamentary special committee formed to investigate the tampering.

The RSP claims that the bill's most serious and important provision was tampered with, deceiving even members of parliament.

Speaking in parliament, RSP lawmaker Manish Jha said that tampering with the cooling-off period clause has stained parliamentary practice.

"We knew that a parliamentary investigation committee was being formed and had agreed to it. However, you resorted to various tactics to ensure that the committee was led by someone associated with the same party that is accused in the tampering," Jha said.

Congress lawmaker Ram Hari Khatiwada, the chairman of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee, is himself accused in the tampering.

Lawmaker Jha also mentioned that their protest over the visit visa scam issue is ongoing.

“Our movement regarding organizedagainst organised crime carried out through visit visas is ongoing,” said Jha, adding, “And in the midst of this movement, a shameful chapter has been added to parliamentary practice.”

The Rastriya Swatantra Party and Rastriya Prajatantra Party have long been obstructing Parliament, demanding the resignation of Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak and the formation of an investigation commission on the visit visa scam. In May, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority said it has uncovered evidence indicating that individuals were sent abroad on visit visas in exchange for large sums of money, in collusion with top government officials.