Parliament on Tuesday began deliberation on the impeachment motion against the suspended Chief of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) Lokman Singh Karki.
But the Nepali Congress whose support is the key to impeaching Karki is still undecided whether to support the motion, which was tabled by the UML and the CPN (Maoist-Centre) in Parliament on Sunday.
After the first day of deliberation, the House has been adjourned until after Chhath festival. The UML and the CPN (Maoist-Centre) are expected to forge a consensus with the NC during this break.
Maoist MP Mahendra Bahadur Shahi, who registered the motion in the House, presented nine reasons for Karki's impeachment. He said Karki has disgraced the CIAA by abusing his power to fulfill his personal interests.
The NC Central Committee (CC) meeting that began last week ended inconclusively on Tuesday. The CC members were divided over the issue. While some leaders supported the motion, others saw it as a UML ploy to break the NC-Maoist coalition and undermine efforts to amend the Constitution. NC leaders say the country's largest party will decide on this issue only after hearing a clarification from Parliament.
However, NC leader and Health Minister Gagan Thapa supported the motion in Parliament. He said Karki's appointment three years ago as the CIAA Chief was a blunder and the impeachment is an opportunity for the parties to correct their past error.
NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba has hinted that he no longer backs Karki, but it seems he will be happy if his party does not have to vote for or against the impeachment motion. Deuba seems to be waiting for Karki to step down so the UML will not get the credit for removing Karki, who allegedly abused his power to benefit his family, take revenge against his critics, showed contempt for the Supreme Court and disregarded the Constitution.
However, UML-Maoist leaders who tabled the motion urged the NC to rise above party politics and impeach Karki. UML MP Rabindra Adhikari said: "It is not a party's agenda. We must stand united on this issue and punish the man who insulted the people by disobeying Parliament."