Prime Minister Balen Shah Faces Questions in Parliament Amidst Controversy

Kathmandu. Opposition party MPs had been protesting since May 4, demanding that Prime Minister Balen Shah be questioned in the House of Representatives. That protest caused the Speaker, Dol Prasad Aryal, to postpone the House of Representatives meeting several times. However, a surprising scene unfolded in Sunday's House of Representatives meeting. When Speaker Aryal announced that the House of Representatives meeting had begun its proceedings, Prime Minister Shah raised his hand from his seat to speak. The Speaker then allowed Prime Minister Shah to use the rostrum. Upon reaching the rostrum, Prime Minister Shah stated that he had come to answer the questions posed by the MPs and requested the Speaker to give the MPs time to ask questions. The MPs were then taken aback. Opposition parties Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, Communist Party of Nepal, Labor Culture Party, and Rastriya Prajatantra Party were demanding the right to question the Prime Minister in accordance with Rules 15 and 56 of the House of Representatives Regulations 2079. Rule 15, Sub-rule (2), states that the concerned minister must provide a response in the House within seven days to issues raised during emergency, zero, and special times. Similarly, Rule 56, titled 'Direct Questioning of the Prime Minister' under Chapter 9 of the Regulations, has various provisions in Sub-rules 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 under the title 'Direct Questioning Possible'.

These are those provisions

According to those provisions, citing procedural irregularities, MPs from UML and Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) objected before the Prime Minister's questioning. CPN Chief Whip Yuvraj Dulal and UML Chief Whip Ain Mahar objected in accordance with Rule 56 of the House of Representatives Regulations. They stated that the constitution and the House of Representatives Regulations were violated. Dulal and Mahar in the House of Representatives stated that the provision for registering questions three days in advance had been made and that it was not followed, thus raising an objection. Subsequently, Prime Minister Shah was questioned by Arjun Narsingh KC of the Nepali Congress, Padama Aryal of UML, Pravesh Hamal of CPN Maoist, Aryan Rai of Labor Culture Party, Khushbu Oli of Rastriya Prajatantra Party, independent MP Mahabir Pun, and ruling party's Rastriya Swatantra Party MP Babindra Burlakoti. Prime Minister Shah answered all the questions. KC asked Prime Minister Shah,