Opposition Congress Demands PM Balen Shah Apology Over Border Remarks, Parliament Stalled

Kathmandu. The main opposition party Nepali Congress has stated that the proceedings of the House of Representatives cannot proceed until Prime Minister Balen Shah apologizes for his statement made from the rostrum of the House of Representatives that India has encroached upon Nepal's border.  

Speaking during the emergency time in Monday's meeting of the House of Representatives, Congress MP Santosh Subba strongly condemned the Prime Minister's statement made in the parliament on the 19th and demanded an immediate clarification on the matter.  

Subba expressed dissatisfaction that despite the parliament being obstructed for four days, the progress of discussions and dialogues between the parties has not been informed to the House. ‘We have been obstructing the parliament for 4 days, where has the dialogue reached? What kind of discussions took place? We need to be informed about this,’ Subba said. He stated that since the parliament started late and there is very little time, serious issues should not be overlooked.  

MP Subba referred to the Speaker as a 'guardian' and said that it is the Speaker's responsibility to provide a way out for the parliament. He said, ‘The Speaker has no excuse to fail, you have to guide us. Our shortcomings can be corrected, but you must take concrete steps to make the parliament functional.’

Subba stated that due to the obstruction of the parliament, discussions on important budget issues, agricultural problems, budget allocation for hilly and mountainous regions, and the issue of migration, which is a complex problem of the country, have not been possible.  

He said that the Congress's demand is that the Prime Minister should clarify his statements responsibly to the parliament and present the issue of encroachment of Nepal's territory in a factual manner.