Kathmandu, May 22: Prime Minister Balen Shah again skipped Parliament on Thursday, triggering obstruction from opposition parties and raising questions over the Speaker’s handling of the House.
Opposition lawmakers demanded a scheduled question-answer session with the prime minister at the start of the meeting, arguing that he must remain accountable to Parliament. When Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal refused to halt proceedings, opposition MPs moved to the well of the House and chanted slogans.
The dispute erupted after the government tried to move ahead with bills under the prime minister’s jurisdiction despite his absence. Sobita Gautam was assigned to present the proposals on his behalf.
Opposition parties objected after the Speaker allowed Gautam to table a proposal seeking discussion on the House of Representatives Election (First Amendment) Bill, 2083. They demanded a ruling requiring the prime minister’s attendance.
Amid protests, the Speaker suspended the House for 15 minutes and visited the prime minister at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. Shah, however, did not commit to appearing in Parliament. Later, the Speaker informed the Business Advisory Committee that the prime minister would attend “at an appropriate time,” without specifying when.
When the House resumed, protests continued. The main opposition, Nepali Congress, protested from its seats while other opposition lawmakers gathered at the well shouting slogans against “authoritarian tendencies” and a “prime minister above the constitution.”
Despite the obstruction, the House moved ahead with discussions on the House of Representatives Election Amendment Bill, Voter List Amendment Bill and National Forensic Science Laboratory Bill. Lawmaker Swarnim Wagle also presented a proposal for clause-wise discussion on the Alternative Development Finance Mobilization Bill, which was passed amid protests.
Opposition parties accused the Speaker of ignoring Rule 56(1) of the House regulations, which requires a monthly question-answer session with the prime minister. The session also saw heated exchanges after several opposition lawmakers rejected the Speaker’s offer of one-minute speaking time, calling it insufficient. Parliament, once again, managed to resemble a malfunctioning traffic junction with microphones.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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