By Our Reporter

The move to unseat Deputy Speaker Indira Rana Magar has gained momentum, evolving into a coordinated political drive of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba. Although it began with sporadic charges, the action has now become an effort to weaken the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), shift parliamentary politics, and reshape the Constitutional Council.

The initiative started when UML chief Yogesh Bhattarai charged Rana Magar with misconduct. He cited a 2015 case of missing children by Prisoners Assistance Nepal, her affiliated organization, and wondered why the government report on the case remained sealed. He also accused her of taking 17 foreign trips, 10 of them without official approval, and giving speeches in the US without the approval of the institution. These allegations provided Oli with the grounds he needed to act against her.

Oli had been frustrated for months with RSP's Parliament block. The RSP had zeroed in on Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak during the visit visa imbroglio, bringing House sessions to a halt. By demanding Rana Magar's removal, Oli aimed not just to attack the RSP but to bring Congress into the Constitutional Council, where it currently has none.

The Council question was elevated. Oli argued that substituting Rana Magar with a Congress candidate would "correct" the imbalance. Meeting Congress leaders on August 18, he called upon Deuba to act, posing the trafficking charges as a legal and political grounds for removal.

Deuba, initially hesitant, changed his stance after the meeting, influenced by growing frustration with the RSP and Oli’s insistence. Soon after, Congress began collecting signatures in Singha Durbar, while UML lawmakers did the same in their parliamentary office.

House rules compel a quarter of members to sign a removal motion, but two-thirds of the majority are needed to pass it. Together, UML and Congress hold 167 seats, which falls short of the 183 needed. Both parties have moved behind the scenes to appeal to smaller forces and secure the margin.

Congress unity, though, is not absolute. Shekhar Koirala, Gagan Thapa, and Bishwoprakash Sharma were among those to caution that the ousting of a Deputy Speaker for political expediency would erode self-respect. Their demonstrations indicated a divide within Congress but did not stop Deuba's momentum.

By August, the Rana Magar campaign had moved beyond a question of responsibility. It was a political move to sit out the RSP, expand Congress's institutional footing, and firm up UML's hold on deciding government business, all while the Maoist Centre threatened unrest in Parliament and the streets if she was removed.