Opposition Leader Criticizes PM's Statement on Border Dispute

Kathmandu. Chief opposition party Nepali Congress Parliamentary Party leader Bhishma Raj Angdembe has criticized Prime Minister Balen Shah's statement that 'Nepal has also encroached upon India's border'.

Speaking in a special time during the Federal Parliament House of Representatives meeting on Wednesday, he called Balen's statement 'objectionable, irresponsible, and shameful', and MPs questioned the Prime Minister's allegiance to the nation. During his address, he stated that Nepal has never been a colony of anyone and accused the Prime Minister of hurting the pride of the brave Gorkhalis. Recalling Gopal Yonjan's patriotic song 'Khoseko rotile mero pet bharrina' (My stomach is not filled by stolen bread), he said that the Nepali people want to live with pride as big as Sagarmatha, but the Prime Minister has expressed a surrenderist view by saying that the neighbor's border has been encroached upon.
'Lipulek, Kalapani, and Limpiyadhura are ours, as this parliament has passed the map and shown it to the world,' he said, 'But how shameful is it that today our own Prime Minister says 'we have also encroached'? Is he trying to balance the accounts?'

Targeting the ruling party and especially the MPs of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), he said that the scene where MPs supported the Prime Minister's anti-national statement by banging tables instead of protesting was the most tragic and shameful in history. He commented that MPs were 'committing suicide of their conscience and questioning ability' in the greed for power.
He expressed concern that the Prime Minister's statement would damage Nepal's image internationally and send the wrong message.

Key points in the address -

Honorable Speaker,

Today, I stand before this respected house to address you in an unusual circumstance. I know - I am a citizen of a country that has never been a colony of anyone in history. I know - my country is the land of brave Gorkhalis, which has never bowed down to anyone in the world. Many of us have heard Gopal Yonjan's song since childhood - My stomach is not filled by stolen bread, my shame is not covered by borrowed clothes, my hands and feet may be worn out, but these hands will not join before anyone. My chest is fortified by cliffs, Mr. Speaker, every word of this national song conveys the message that every child born from the womb of a Nepali mother yesterday or in the future will live with pride. They will live with pride as big as Sagarmatha, not just Sagarmatha. But when I think about it, Mr. Speaker, if Gopal Yonjan were alive today - what would he say after hearing the Prime Minister's statement 'Our country has encroached upon the neighbor's border'? He would surely ask - they encroached, we also encroached, what account are you trying to balance, Mr. Prime Minister? The world knows.

Mr. Speaker, * Lipulek is ours, * Kalapani is ours, * Limpiyadhura is ours. The world also knows that this parliament has passed the map including those territories. The solution to this issue should not be through excitement and impulse, but through calm and deep dialogue and diplomatic process. We all want this. For that, we, the opposition and the government, were and are all with the government. But the attitude of the government and the ruling party does not seem serious about this important issue.

Mr. Speaker,

* The government is one thing, the party is another. * The minister/prime minister's post is separate, the MP is separate. Understanding this fact, in the previous parliament, when my party Nepali Congress was in government, two general secretaries of Congress would stand at the rostrum and scrutinize the weaknesses of their own government. MPs from Congress would raise questions against their own ministers/prime minister on important issues. They would attack. That's why it can be said with confidence - Congress is not a party of corpses and slaves. But.... as of today, I am witnessing a very tragic scene in this parliament where the ability to question is committing suicide. I had hoped that someone from the ruling side would dare to ask, 'Whose border has my country encroached upon?', but Mr. Speaker, I am ashamed - instead, some MP friends are running with all their might to confirm that Nepal has indeed encroached upon India's border. Would the soul of Bhakti Thapa curse such friends or not? I do not want to sadden those sad hearts further by asking this! Rather, Mr. Speaker, I want to very humbly draw everyone's attention to the mature and responsible duty that this parliament should not get bogged down in this matter. The discussion on this year's budget is pending. We have to discuss many other vital issues of the Nepali people.
The Prime Minister may not want the parliament, but the opposition wants the parliament. The Prime Minister may come again in a guerrilla style someday, but I don't want to search for him anymore. But I also do not want to be remiss in my responsibility to ensure that the valuable time of this dignified parliament is not wasted by getting stuck only on what the Prime Minister said. The Prime Minister's statement 'Nepal has also encroached upon India's border' was irresponsible. It was objectionable and a shameful statement. But if we discuss this in our parliament for 5 consecutive days with 5 international observers, after 5 days they will surely conclude in their report - the matter of Nepal encroaching upon India's border is true. Because the lips sealed by the tape of power cannot speak in favor of truth.

If all MPs speak, those foreign observers will write - the majority of MPs in Nepal's parliament have accepted that 'Nepal has indeed encroached upon India's border'. Because the number saying 'has not encroached' is in the minority in the parliament. Mr. Speaker, I repeatedly recall the shameful scene when the majority of MPs accepted that - on the day the Prime Minister said such a thing, the honorable members of RSP supported it by banging the table - bang / bang / bang. Forgive me, Mr. Speaker, that was the most shameful and most tragic scene I have ever witnessed in my life!!