Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal Appears 'Helpless' Under Prime Minister Balen Shah's Influence

Kathmandu. Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal, who is supposed to play an impartial role in the House of Representatives, appears to have become 'helpless' under the pressure and influence of Prime Minister Balen Shah.

Opposition parties Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, Communist Party of Nepal, Labor Culture Party, and Rastriya Prajatantra Party have unanimously urged the Speaker to make Prime Minister Balen accountable to the House and to ensure he answers the questions raised by the MPs. Despite the opposition drawing the Speaker's attention to this issue and obstructing the House, Speaker Aryal has not been able to make a ruling.

In the political equation, Aryal has been silently supporting every move of Prime Minister Shah and has been unable to make a 'ruling'. The opposition parties are protesting this action of the Speaker.

In parliamentary practice, the position of the Speaker is considered to have special dignity and authority, but Speaker Aryal remains helpless.

विपक्षीको अवरोधपछि सभामुखको प्रष्टीकरण, ‘प्रधानमन्त्री छिट्टै सदनमा उपस्थित भएर प्रश्नको उत्तर दिनुहुन्छ’

Recent events show that instead of upholding the special rights of the House when the executive tries to interfere with the legislature, the Speaker has become an ally of the government.

Instead of forcing the Prime Minister to answer the serious questions raised by the opposition in the House, Speaker Aryal has been advancing the agenda by shortening time, removing important issues from the agenda, or presenting, discussing, and passing important bills amidst opposition protests.

Opposition parties have been raising their voices since the first day of the monsoon session of the Federal Parliament, demanding that the Prime Minister appear in Parliament and answer questions as per Rule 56, Sub-rule (1) of the House of Representatives Regulations 2079, which allows for direct questioning. In the session that began on Jestha 4, in the meetings held on Jestha 4, 5, 6, 7, and today the 12th, the opposition has been demanding a 'ruling' for the Prime Minister to answer questions raised in the zero, emergency, and special times of the House and to be present for the question-and-answer program arranged in the regulations.

Rule 56, Sub-rule (1) of the Regulations states, 'The Speaker shall determine one hour of a meeting on the first week of each month for asking questions directly related to the Prime Minister or his/her area of responsibility.'

On Jestha 7, when the opposition obstructed the meeting demanding a question-and-answer session with the Prime Minister, Speaker Aryal postponed the meeting for 15 minutes and went to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers in Singha Durbar to meet Prime Minister Balen. Despite meeting the Prime Minister for about half an hour, Aryal could not get the Prime Minister to appear in the House.

The meeting was then adjourned until today, the 12th. When the House session began today, the opposition again obstructed the meeting demanding the Prime Minister. However, Speaker Aryal postponed the meeting for 15 minutes and could not make a 'ruling' for the Prime Minister to appear. Instead, Speaker Aryal is allowing ministers to answer and present bills on behalf of the Prime Minister, overriding the opposition.

On Jestha 7, amidst the opposition's obstruction, Speaker Aryal allowed Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Sobita Gautam, to present a proposal for consideration on three bills on behalf of the Prime Minister.

He gave time to Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle for clause-wise discussion on the 'Alternative Development Finance Mobilization Bill, 2082'. Discussion and passage of that bill were carried out amidst opposition.

In today's meeting as well, after the opposition obstructed, Speaker Aryal stated that his attention has been drawn to the issue of making the Prime Minister appear. He said that the issues raised by the MPs are very valid, constitutional, regulatory, and legal. 'My attention has been drawn to the issues raised by the honorable members. The honorable Prime Minister must appear in the House on behalf of the government and answer the questions raised by the MPs. He must present his views. He must address the problems of the people,' Speaker Aryal said in the meeting, 'The issue is very valid, constitutional. It is regulatory. It is legal.'

He stated that he is in communication with the Prime Minister regarding this, but he could not make a 'ruling' for him to appear in the meeting. He said that the Prime Minister is preparing to come to the House and answer the MPs' questions.

संसद्‍मा हंगामा: नरेन्द्र केरुङले पाखुरा सुर्केपछि बासना थापाले सम्हालिन् (भिडियो)

'We have been in dialogue with the leader of the opposition party several times regarding this. I have been in dialogue with the chief whip of the ruling party and others. Not only that, I have been in dialogue with the government itself, with the honorable Prime Minister,' Aryal said, 'I am reiterating to you all, the honorable Prime Minister is preparing to come. He is aware of the issues being discussed and raised in the House.'

While Aryal was speaking, opposition MPs demanded to know when he would come and that a specific date should be set. Then Speaker Aryal said, 'Your desire is for a date to be announced, which is natural. He is saying he will come. We have received information that the government is discussing to finalize the Prime Minister's arrival.'

Even when Aryal said, 'I do not want to proceed with the House while members are standing. Therefore, please cooperate by sitting down,' the opposition MPs did not sit. Then Speaker Aryal proceeded with the proceedings amidst the opposition's protests.

While opposition MPs were standing and chanting slogans, he gave Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Ganesh Poudel, time to present the Tourism Bill 2082.

जगदीश खरेलको उत्तेजक अभिव्यक्तिले विपक्षी आक्रोशित

‘प्रधानमन्त्री संसद्‌सँग किन तर्सिरहेका छन् ?’

विपक्षी दलहरूलाई पेलेरै अगाडि बढे सभामुख

विपक्षी दलहरूले भने– प्रधानमन्त्री नआई संसद्को कारबाही अगाडि नबढाइयोस्

Nepali Congress MP Sita Thapaliya 'Urmila' said that while it is natural for the Prime Minister not to trust the opposition MPs, it now appears that even the MPs of the ruling party do not trust him.

'Why should one become Prime Minister if they don't trust Parliament?' Thapaliya told Ratopati, 'The Prime Minister is not accountable to the opposition MPs, but he should come to listen to the ruling party MPs. However, even after so much persuasion, he has not come.'

CPN-UML Chief Whip Ain Mahar accused the Prime Minister of disregarding Parliament, which produced him. He stated that the government has violated the constitution. 'The government has violated Article 76 (10). The Prime Minister has not respected the House by coming to Parliament,' he said.

According to the principle of separation of powers, the legislature should control and balance the executive. However, this closeness between Speaker Aryal and Prime Minister Shah raises questions about the independent existence of Parliament. Opposition MPs say that Aryal's helplessness poses a threat to weakening the parliamentary system in the future. 'How will a Speaker who cannot stop the Prime Minister's autocracy address the voice of the people?' said an opposition MP.