KATHMANDU: The ongoing controversy over visit visas continued to stir tensions in House of Representatives on Friday, with the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) demanding a high-level probe, while the ruling Nepali Congress (NC) defended past practices.

RSP lawmaker Binita Kathayat accused major parties of trying to scrap the “cooling-off” period to appoint their loyalists to constitutional bodies, and criticized the government for forming a “token” committee to investigate the visit visa scandal.

She demanded an independent high-level investigation, warning that international attention on the issue was growing. RSP and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) lawmakers also boycotted the House session in protest.

In response, NC Chief Whip Shyam Kumar Ghimire indirectly targeted RSP President Rabi Lamichhane, saying that those who once left Nepal on visit visas, acquired foreign citizenship, and later returned to hold top posts including Deputy Prime Minister should not overreact now.

“Many who reached high office via visit visas are now acting overly concerned,” he said, admitting the practice is wrong under international law but calling RSP’s protest hypocritical.

The deadlock over the visit visa scandal has stalled Parliament for nearly two months.