Nepali Congress (NC) central member Shekhar Koirala has slammed the party leadership for demanding spoils in constitutional appointments instead of demanding election for deputy speaker.
The post is vacant since Shiva Maya Tumbahangphe resigned on January 19. Tumbahangphe has since been appointed law minister. Ruling CPN has not showed interest to fill the vacant position as it should go to another party as per the Constitution.
CPN had kept both the posts of speaker and deputy speaker even after unification arguing that the then speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara was CPN (Maoist Center) lawmaker and Tumbahangphe CPN-UML lawmaker at the time of their appointments.
But it has not showed interest to fill the post that will have to go to an opposition party after she had to resign to allow CPN lawmaker Agni Sapkota to succeed Mahara as speaker following the latter's resignation after rape allegations.
Koirala, who has already announced to fight for the top post in the party in the upcoming general convention, has taken swipe at NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba, without taking his name, for not raising the issue of deputy speaker, who is ex officio member of the Constitutional Council, and demanding spoils in constitutional appointments.
"Should Congress not put pressure on completion of the Constitutional Council (deputy speaker election) instead of demanding spoils in constitutional commissions," Koirala has tweeted on Sunday. "Why are the opposition parties, intellectuals and law practitioners silent when the post of deputy speaker is vacant for so long."
