Bagmati Province Assembly Condemns Prime Minister's Border Remarks, Demands Resignation

Hetauda. The Bagmati Provincial Assembly meeting has witnessed strong protests regarding Prime Minister Balendra Shah's recent statement on border disputes in the House of Representatives. Lawmakers have demanded his resignation from the Provincial Assembly meeting, calling Prime Minister Balen's statement that 'Nepal has also encroached on India's border' as anti-national, objectionable, and against national interest.

In the Bagmati Provincial Assembly meeting held on Monday, during the discussion on the policy and program, lawmakers criticized the Prime Minister's statement. They also demanded that the Prime Minister publicly apologize and that the statement be removed from the records of the Federal Parliament.

Jagannath Thapaliya, leader of the CPN-UML Bagmati Province Parliamentary Party, called the Prime Minister's statement a 'dark stain in history.' He demanded that the Prime Minister publicly apologize to the Nepali people through parliament. He stated that the Bagmati Provincial Assembly should pass a motion of regret against the Prime Minister's statement.

'The Nepali Prime Minister has lowered the dignity of Nepalis in front of the international community by saying something that even the Indian media has not claimed. This has insulted the entire nation. He must apologize in parliament,' he said.

Former Chief Minister and leader of the CPN Bagmati Province Parliamentary Party, Shalikram Jamkattel, called it unfortunate that such an irresponsible statement came from the Prime Minister on a sensitive issue like nationality. He questioned if there was any political secret hidden between the Prime Minister's statement and the visit of the chairman of the ruling coalition partner, Rastriya Swatantra Party, to India. He stated that Prime Minister Balendra's recent statement on the border has deeply hurt the self-respect of all Nepalis. He expressed objection, calling Prime Minister Shah's statement 'Nepal has encroached on India's border' as baseless and against national interest.

He said it is unfortunate that at a time when India is encroaching on Nepali territory in Kalapani, Lipulek, and Limpiyadhura and constructing structures, the chief executive of the country is making statements that blame his own country. He stated that no facts or evidence prove that Nepal has encroached on the border. He said that Prime Minister Shah's statement has deeply hurt the self-respect of all Nepalis who are fighting against Indian oppression and desire national independence.

'India is encroaching on our border. Pillars have been moved overnight. Villages have been merged. But I express strong objection and regret to the statement made by the honorable Prime Minister in the House of Representatives yesterday that Nepal has encroached on India's border,' he said. 'What is the synchronicity between the Prime Minister making such a statement in parliament and the chairman of the ruling coalition partner, Rastriya Swatantra Party, visiting India on the same day? Is this the result of some political secret or pressure? The Nepali people are seeking answers to this.'

Ratan Prasad Dhakal, Chief Whip of the CPN Bagmati Province Parliamentary Party, demanded that Prime Minister Shah resign immediately. He objected to the statement made by Prime Minister Shah from the rostrum of the House of Representatives about Nepal encroaching on Indian land and said that Prime Minister Shah should resign.

Speaking in the Provincial Assembly meeting on Monday, lawmaker Dhakal said that such an irresponsible statement from a person who is the leader and guardian of the country is shocking and objectionable. Lawmaker Dhakal demanded that Prime Minister Shah be made to resign and prosecuted for treason.

'There is evidence that India has encroached on the border in 23 out of 26 districts of Nepal in 71 places, but the Prime Minister is blaming his own country. A treason case should be filed against a person making such a treasonous statement,' he said.

Lawmaker Suspa Bhujel said that Prime Minister Shah's statement that Nepal has also encroached on India's border has deeply hurt the dignity of the Nepali people. She demanded that the Prime Minister provide a written explanation to the parliament and the entire country for his statement and that he should resign from his post.

'Prime Minister, you came singing songs, we came making history. You came listening to sweet melodies of music, we came listening to the sounds of bombs, bullets, and guns for justice,' she said.

Saral Sahayatri, Chairman of CPN Bagmati Province, accused Balen Shah, who had displayed the map of 'Greater Nepal' when he was the Mayor of Kathmandu in the past, of trying to surrender to India now.

Suggestions for Bringing Effective Budget

Along with the border dispute debate, the meeting also discussed the provincial government's annual policy and program for the fiscal year 2083/084. Lawmakers participating in the discussion drew the government's attention to development projects, social inclusion, and administrative reforms. Questions were also raised in the Provincial Assembly about the federal government's budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Lawmakers demanded reforms, especially against the unnecessary burden on the public due to the 5% VAT on electricity tariffs, up to 225% tax increase on electric vehicles, and additional taxes on private education and healthcare. Lawmakers participating in the discussion urged the government to pay attention to monitoring, transparency, and project effectiveness.

Presenting his views in the meeting, former Chief Minister Jamkattel said that history has been neglected in the provincial government's policy and program. He accused the government of deliberately removing words like People's War, armed struggle, and martyrs from the written document. He stated that the government cannot function by forgetting the foundation of history and struggle. He commented that the government's preparation to merge ministries and offices based on budget burden is short-sighted. He specifically suggested not to weaken bodies like the Ministry of Law and the Communication Registrar.

He stated that the policy and program are silent on making Tamang and Nepal languages the official languages of government work as per the Language Act passed by the province. He demanded immediate budget and O&M arrangements for those bodies and their implementation.

Chief Whip Dhakal said that monitoring of provincial pride projects would be more effective if done by the respective ministries rather than the Chief Minister's Office. He demanded that the policy include details of the damage to government property during the movement of May 23-24 and the administrative building under construction in Hetauda.

Lawmaker Laxmi Ghimire emphasized that housing built for the extremely poor and landless should be disabled-friendly and that persons with disabilities should be included in skill development. Similarly, demands were made to bring policies for player allowances and self-employment for housewives.

Lawmaker Suspa Bhujel emphasized that the government's policies should not be limited to paper but should be connected with the sentiments of the people. She stressed that the main goal of a prosperous Bagmati should be to ensure that no provincial resident remains unemployed, dies due to lack of treatment, or is deprived of the right to education.

According to her, the practice of the Chief Minister's Office allocating budgets and monitoring them itself is not effective. She stated that the responsibility of monitoring should be given to competent and active thematic committees of the respective ministries. She stated that clear goals and destinations should be set for skill development and employment programs, specifying the number of jobs to be created. She said that the process for revenue collection from riverine materials (dahattar-bahattar) in the province should be systematized to increase the revenue base.