MPs Question Speaker on Parliamentary Proceedings Amid Opposition Protests

Opposition party MPs surrounded the Speaker and raised slogans in protest against statements made by the Prime Minister regarding the Nepal-India border dispute during the House of Representatives session. Despite the opposition’s disruption, Speaker Aryal read out the presidential certification letter on bills received from the President’s office to inform the assembly. The meeting’s remaining agenda was not advanced due to opposition shouting, and the next House of Representatives session was postponed to 25 Jestha.

On 19 Jestha in Kathmandu, opposition MPs questioned the Speaker about the forceful conduct of parliamentary proceedings. The session was disrupted temporarily due to the opposition encircling the Speaker and shouting slogans. A question-and-answer session between the Speaker and opposition MPs took place on Tuesday. Although the meeting was scheduled for 1 pm, it started at 1:58 pm. Since parliamentary rules automatically suspend meetings delayed by two hours, the session commenced two minutes early to avoid automatic adjournment.

As soon as the Speaker announced, “The House of Representatives session proceedings begin,” opposition MPs stood up. The Speaker reminded them of their continued standing over the past two to three days and requested cooperation to proceed with the budget discussion agenda. However, the opposition rejected this request. The Speaker noted that discussions had taken place the previous day and informal talks were ongoing, urging that these activities be formally included in the agenda. He also encouraged the opposition to raise issues during the emergency time, but opposition MPs maintained that the parliament must be informed about the Prime Minister’s remarks on the border dispute.

When opposition MPs began to stand again, the Speaker allotted time to Congress Chief Whip Basana Thapa to speak but initially allowed Abhishek Pratap Shah to address the assembly. Shah described as baseless the Prime Minister’s claim that Nepal has encroached on Indian territory and demanded government accountability, emphasizing the matter’s link to national security. Shah stated, “The Prime Minister must either retract that statement or apologize; otherwise, the parliament cannot function.”

During the previous Sunday’s House session, Prime Minister Balendra had mentioned resolving the Nepal-India border issue through diplomatic talks. He said, “You may find this surprising, but after becoming Prime Minister, I learned that Nepal has also encroached upon Indian land in many places, not just India on Nepal’s land.” Opposition parties have continuously protested these remarks during House sessions. Despite the protests, parliamentary proceedings have continued with the House passing bills related to procedural rules and elections.

Due to ongoing opposition resistance, MPs also questioned the Speaker about parliamentary management. During the discussion, Chief Whip of the Communist Party of Nepal, Yubaraj Dulal, stated that the opposition seeks smooth parliamentary functioning. He remarked, “We want to conduct the House efficiently to discuss and pass the budget. The Nepali people have entrusted us with lawmaking responsibilities, so there is no ambiguity about the need for uninterrupted proceedings. We are not in favor of disrupting the House.” Dulal raised questions with the Speaker on the border issue and the Prime Minister’s statements raised by the opposition, emphasizing their sensitive nature compared to the new fiscal year’s budget effective from 1 Shrawan. He called for high-level political dialogue and immediate Speaker initiative on the matter.

The Speaker responded that he did not mean to imply that budget issues were more serious than the border dispute. “I never said this issue isn’t serious. However, we should try to advance the agenda items. The government is paying attention and dialogue is ongoing,” he clarified. Rastriya Prajatantra Party Chief Whip Khusbu Oli also urged the Speaker to avoid allowing the House to run under pressure tactics, appealing, “I request you to call top leaders and MPs of all parties for discussion rather than running the House under continued pressure. We should regard this issue with the nation’s dignity in mind.”

The Speaker assured that dialogues are ongoing and asked members to remain confident. He said, “I am aware of the concerns raised by honorable members. The government is taking this matter seriously. There will be a government response, and I am also regularly engaging in dialogue with opposition leaders.” Despite the Q&A session on parliamentary management, the matter remained unresolved. The Speaker allowed Nepali Congress leader Bhishma Raj Angdembe from the main opposition to speak during the emergency time.

Amid the opposition’s protest, the Speaker read out a letter about bills certified by the President. The House bills amending the Election Act and the Voter List Act have been certified by the President. After opposition MPs surrounded the Speaker again, he read the letter from the President’s office to inform the House. Following this, the remaining agenda was not advanced, and the next session was postponed to 25 Jestha.