Kathmandu. Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration, Raj Kumar Gupta, has urged Speaker of the House of Representatives Devraj Ghimire to investigate the changes in the cooling-off period.

Stating that the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration has drawn serious attention to the changes in the provision of ‘Cooling of Period’, Minister Gupta urged the government to investigate the incident and take action against the culprits.

Expressing anger over the unauthorized changes to reverse the purpose and intent of the cooling-off period provided in the ‘Bill to provide for the formation, operation and conditions of service of the Federal Civil Service’ passed by the House of Representatives by a majority on Sunday, Minister Gupta said, “This is an insult to the sovereign parliament, it is not an ordinary incident.” Parliament should investigate and take immediate action against the culprits. ’

Minister Gupta suspects that the bill passed unanimously by the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee may have been changed while taking the report to parliament. Minister Gupta said, “I and committee president Ramhari Khatiwada along with honorable members Raghuji Panta, Dilendra Prasad Badhu, Lilanath Shrestha, among others, had planned to sit at my ministry and see the bill passed by the committee and submit the report to the parliament. ’

Minister Gupta said that it is a matter of serious doubt that the report has been submitted by misleading the minister of the taluk ministry.

The 73rd meeting of the State Affairs Committee held on May 27 had unanimously passed the bill after extensive discussions. Though preparations were made to present the Federal Civil Service Bill in the Meeting of the House of Representatives scheduled to be held on May 15, opposition parties including CPN (Maoist), Rastriya Swatantra Party (RJP) and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) could not move forward due to obstruction in parliament.

After a long wait, State Affairs and Good Governance Committee President Ramhari Khatiwada presented a report in this regard to the House of Representatives on June 15.

Even after the bill was introduced in parliament, the top officials of the civil servants have been putting high pressure on the government, including Minister Gupta, to remove the cooling-off period. In the meantime, Minister Gupta faced many questions in Parliament. In the meantime, he had said with a firm stance, “There can be no revision of the cooling period or any other arrangement, there will be no change in the comma and full stop. ’

Minister Gupta, however, said that he was upset that the much-talked about provision was distorted by misleading himself today.