The dispute between the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Janamat Party has escalated as they engage in public accusations against each other through statements.

For months, the party has been trying to remove its lawmaker Goma Labh Sapkota from the position claiming she was involved in an irregularity. The Madhesh-based party has been writing to the parliament secretariat and Speaker Devraj Ghimire urging them to remove Sapkota as a member of the lower house.

In November first week, the party wrote to Ghimire for the third time claiming she needs to be sacked as a lawmaker alleging that she had received bribes from a contractor and was also conspiring to split the party. Ghimire on November 21 turned down the request arguing the charges the party has leveled against Sapkota don’t lead to her disqualification for the lawmaker post.

He said the Political Parties Act has prescribed the conditions when a lawmaker loses his/her position, but the allegations against her don't fall under the conditions.

Angered with the decision, the CK Raut-led party not only accused Ghimire of engaging in “criminal conduct” but also claimed that his decision was racist and reeked of bigotry. Issuing a press statement on Monday, it said the decision to continue Sapkota’s position was discriminatory and against the parliamentary norms.

“By invalidating the party's disciplinary action, the Parliament Secretariat not only violated the party’s supremacy but also, by acting as a partisan of a particular party, went beyond its jurisdiction, engaging in unlawful, unconstitutional, and criminal acts that jeopardise the multi-party parliamentary system and democracy itself,” the Janamat Party’s statement reads. “If the Speaker is allowed to act beyond his jurisdiction with such arbitrary power, it will set a dangerous precedent and pose a significant threat to democracy.”

The party also accused Ghimire of not taking action against Sapkota because she is his relative and had committed to joining the CPN-UML (after splitting the party). Ghimire was elected as the Speaker from the UML.

Just because someone is a relative of the Speaker or has pledged to join the Speaker’s former party, he cannot defend a lawmaker even though the party’s central committee has taken action against her following all due legal process, the statement further reads.

Further alleging Ghimire, the party claimed that the Speaker has been demonstrating extreme racist and discriminatory behavior in the past, especially regarding issues like the use of language and attire in Parliament, in allocating time and in other parliamentary proceedings.

A day later, on Tuesday, the parliament secretariat issued a statement taking a serious exception to the party’s allegation against the Speaker.

Through the statement, Anant Prasad Koirala, assistant spokesperson at the secretariat, rubbished the allegations claiming that there has been no discrimination on the grounds of caste, ethnicity, colour, gender, community, language, religion, or physical condition.

He said the party requested for Sapkota dismissal as a lawmaker citing in accordance with the Section 35(2) of the Political Parties Act but the allegations aren’t in line with the prescribed conditions for the lawmaker’s dismissal.

“The federal parliament secretariat, upon receiving the letter, presented the matter in accordance with the provisions of Nepal’s Constitution and relevant laws (the House of Representatives Rules, 2079 and the Political Parties Act, 2073), and the Speaker has made a decision in accordance with the law,” the Secretariat’s statement said. “The secretariat wants to inform that all the details of the Speaker’s decision are clear and, as always, will ensure that all actions are carried out in accordance with the law.”

Sapkota has been refuting the allegations of corruption and conspiring against the party. She has claimed that she is being targetted because she didn’t appoint her personal assistant as dictated by her party leadership.