All is not well between the Parliament Secretariat and the Office of the President, it seems.

Speaker Onasari Gharti is said to be miffed at the Office of the President’s delay in appointing secretary at the Parliament Secretariat.

Speaker Gharti on August 21 had recommended lawyer Gopinath Yogi as the secretary of the Parliament Secretariat. But even three months after the recommendation, there is no word from the Office of the President, which has neither approved the name nor given reasons for the delay, said sources.

The Speaker can appoint a secretary, who has legal background, at the Parliament Secretariat to perform administrative works. The secretary also serves as an adviser to the Speaker.

“We are surprised as to why the President has not endorsed the name yet,” said Babin Sharma, press adviser to Speaker Gharti, adding that the recommendation was made in line with the authority vested in the Speaker by the constitution.

According to sources, the Speaker is preparing to raise the issue during her one-one-one meeting with President Bidhya Devi Bhandari.

The President either has to endorse the name or send the recommendation back, the sources said.

Though the Office of the President has not said anything about the delay, some officials are learnt to have argued that only the Speaker of the Federal Parliament can use the authority to appoint secretary.

Officials at the Parliament Secretariat have a counter-argument. “Article 296 (3) of the Constitution of Nepal says the transformed Parliament (from Constituent Assembly) will act as federal legislature,” they said. “Hence, the Speaker has the full authority [to make the appointment].”

“President’s post is ceremonial. Delaying the recommendation will only give a negative message,” said the sources at the Parliament Secretariat.

But Pralhad Prasad Pudasaini, deputy spokesperson for the Office of President, said that the recommendation is still under consideration, for “there are some issues”. Pudasaini, however, stopped short of elaborating “some issues”.