KATHMANDU: The House of Representatives has been postponed until 11 a.m. on Wednesday after repeated disruptions by opposition lawmakers demanding the resignation of Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak and the formation of a high-level investigation committee into the growing visit visa scandal.

Tuesday’s session, which began at 11 a.m., was marred by immediate protests from opposition benches.

Lawmakers from the CPN (Maoist Centre), Rastriya Swatantra Party, and other opposition groups stood in protest, blocking proceedings and declaring they would not allow the House to function unless an independent investigative panel was formed and Lekhak stepped down.

The controversy stems from revelations that millions of rupees were allegedly collected under the guise of “visit visas” to send Nepali youths abroad, with opposition leaders accusing Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak of being complicit in the racket.

Despite Lekhak being present in the chamber to provide clarification, opposition MPs refused to let him speak. Speaker Devraj Ghimire initially suspended the meeting for half an hour in an attempt to mediate a resolution.

He later convened a joint discussion involving Deputy Speaker, chief whips, and party representatives, but consensus could not be reached.

The ruling Nepali Congress and CPN-UML insisted that the Home Minister be allowed to explain his position before any further action, while the opposition held firm on their twin demands: immediate resignation and an independent probe.

After a second attempt to resume the meeting at 2:30 p.m. also failed, the Parliament Secretariat issued a formal notice announcing the deferral of the session until Wednesday morning.