MP Amresh Kumar Singh Questions PM Balen Shah’s Leadership, Warns Against ‘So-Called’ Government and Police State Model

MP Amresh Kumar Singh of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has raised questions about Prime Minister Balen Shah’s leadership style just one and a half months after the formation of the government. Singh warned that Nepal risks following a Pakistani model of democracy, emphasizing that it should not become a ‘police state.’ He asserted that the current government will not complete its full term and criticized its inaction on the issues facing the Madhesh region. The remarks came on May 19 in Kathmandu.

Amresh Kumar Singh, who served as spokesperson for Balen Shah during the February 21 local elections, voiced his concerns over the prime minister’s leadership style. Prior to this, he had questioned the approach of Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle. In a recent interview with Nima Banjadel on Himalaya TV’s Yaksya Prashna program, Singh pointed toward Nepal heading down a path similar to Pakistan’s flawed democracy.

Highlighting Prime Minister Balen Shah’s tendency to bypass parliamentary processes, Singh compared the situation to Pakistan’s democracy, stating, “Just as businessmen are detained without following due legal processes, only to be released the next day, I firmly claim that billions of rupees have been transferred abroad from Nepal. We must not become a ‘police state’; instead, we need to be a ‘democratic state.’ Democracy in Pakistan has never been stable, is not stable now, and never will be, because their parliament was never allowed to strengthen.”

Singh described the current government as “so-called” and expressed frustration over its failure to address the sufferings of the Madhesh region. “I say to this so-called government: Go to the border and understand what pain means there! Is the Prime Minister not originally from Mahottari in Madhesh? Has Madhesh placed so much trust in you?” he questioned emphatically. He also criticized the prime minister’s approach of circumventing parliament.

Singh argued that the constitution does not grant anyone the license to do whatever they want after coming to power. “Perhaps new MPs think they won because of me, which may be true; perhaps the Prime Minister, Balen, or their team believe that too. But it is not just the group running metropolitan cities; they are trying to run the entire country,” Singh said.

He claimed that he has never pushed to become a minister, firmly rebutting any such allegations by stating, “I am not a broker.” He also expressed objections to the government’s efforts to remove squatter settlements, noting, “But once demolished, they are not rebuilt. Even the holding center in Banepa is facing issues.”

Expressing doubts about whether the constitution will remain intact until the upcoming local elections, Singh said, “If the current constitution remains, the upcoming local election will take place. The problem lies not in the policy but in the intent behind it.”

Watch the complete interview here: