Maoist Lawmakers Object to ‘Violence’ Remark by UML’s Yogesh Bhattarai in Parliament

Lawmakers from the CPN (Maoist Centre) in the House of Representatives (HoR) raised objections today over the use of the term “violence” by CPN (UML) lawmaker Yogesh Kumar Bhattarai during his address in the HoR session. Bhattarai, while expressing his views during a special hour of the HoR meeting, remarked, “The country failed to see progress due to the 10-year-long ‘violence’ of the Maoists, and they also indulged in donations spree targeting hydropower developers.”

This comment sparked immediate objections from Maoist lawmakers, who demanded that the term “violence” be removed from the parliament’s record. Madhav Sapkota of the Maoist Centre labeled Bhattarai’s term as “unparliamentary.”

In response, Speaker Devraj Ghimire acknowledged the objection and urged the House to proceed with its regular business. However, Devendra Paudel of the Maoist Centre pressed for the removal of the term from the parliament’s archive, arguing that it contradicts the constitution and could undermine the peace process. Party’s Chief Whip Hitraj Pandey echoed this sentiment, insisting on the deletion of the word from the record.

UML lawmakers, including Bhattarai and Raghuji Pant, defended the statement. Bhattarai clarified that his remarks were based on studies suggesting that Nepal’s hydropower sector could have flourished if not for the insecurity caused by the Maoist insurgency. He argued that the 10-year conflict hindered potential investments in the sector, and the load-shedding crisis could have been resolved by 2065 BS if the violence had not occurred.