KATHMANDU: Shram Sanskriti Party chair and Member of Parliament Harkaraj Rai (Harka Sampang) has objected to the participation of Deputy Speaker Rubi Kumari Thakur in Thursday’s Constitutional Council meeting, saying she supported Prime Minister Balen Shah in controversial decisions.

In a statement issued on Friday, Rai also raised strong objections to the ordinance related to the Constitutional Council and the process of recommending the Chief Justice.

He said it was wrong to issue an ordinance on the Constitutional Council by bypassing Parliament and creating pressure on the head of state, adding that such actions cannot be justified under any circumstances.

Rai further alleged that the government made another major mistake by recommending Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma, who is fourth in the seniority order, for appointment as Chief Justice.

He expressed suspicion that the government acted outside legal and procedural norms to serve political and legal interests.

Rai claimed that the appointment may have been influenced by a desire to secure favorable decisions on issues such as the cooperative fraud case and the Gen Z protests of September 8 and 9.

He also alleged that pressure was created during the council meeting by raising issues such as MCC and SPP.

Additionally, he said it was regrettable that Deputy Speaker Thakur, elected from his own party, signed a decision that violated seniority norms.

Rai stated that the Shram Sanskriti Party will always oppose any tendency to advance politics by undermining legal procedures and constitutional norms.