Opposition Leader Angdembe States Parliament Will No Longer Search for Prime Minister Balen Shah

Kathmandu. Chief opposition party Nepali Congress's parliamentary party leader Bhishma Raj Angdembe has stated that Parliament will no longer search for Prime Minister Balen Shah from now on.

Speaking at the House of Representatives meeting on Wednesday, he clarified that the country's problems are much larger and more sensitive than the Prime Minister, and he is not in favor of obstructing Parliament by searching for the Prime Minister.

Leader Angdembe mentioned that even if Prime Minister Shah does not want Parliament, the country and the opposition need Parliament. Clarifying that he is not in favor of wasting Parliament's valuable time searching for the Prime Minister, he expressed his suspicion and fear that Prime Minister Shah might come to Parliament again in a guerrilla style and cause chaos.

Speaking at the meeting, leader Angdembe said, 'I want to humbly draw everyone's attention towards the mature and responsible duty that this Parliament should not be bogged down by this issue. The discussion on this year's budget is pending, Mr. Speaker. We have many other vital issues of the Nepali people to discuss. Prime Minister may not want Parliament, but the opposition needs Parliament. Perhaps one day the Prime Minister will come in a guerrilla style again. May it not happen again with the Prime Minister of my country. But I am afraid, he might cause chaos again. I am afraid of this. But henceforth, I do not want to search for him. Because the problems and questions of my country are bigger than his presence. They are more sensitive than him. Therefore, henceforth I do not want to search. But I do not want to shirk the responsibility of not wasting valuable time in the dignified Parliament on what the Prime Minister has said.'

Similarly, leader Angdembe strongly objected to the role of the ruling party's MPs regarding the issue of border disputes. He commented that he was ashamed that while the country should be assured that it has not encroached on anyone's border, some MPs from the ruling party are running around with all their might to prove that Nepal has encroached on India's border.

He said that the soul of Veer Bhakti Thapa would also condemn such MPs who engage in actions that the country and the people would not like. Reminding that the world knows that Lipulek, Kalapani, and Limpiyadhura are Nepal's territory, leader Angdembe clarified that this problem should be resolved through calm and in-depth diplomatic dialogue, not through excitement and emotion. He accused that the opposition has always been with the government on this issue, but the attitude of the government and the ruling party has not been serious.

Presenting an example of how Congress MPs used to raise questions against their own Prime Minister and ministers in Parliament when the Congress-led government was in power in the past, he advised the ruling party MPs not to be corpses and slaves.

He said, 'The world knows that Lipulek is ours, Kalapani is ours, Limpiyadhura is ours, Mr. Speaker. 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 emotion, but through a calm and in-depth dialogue process. We all want this. For that, we, the opposition and the ruling party, were and are with the government. But the attitude of the government and the ruling party has not been serious about this serious issue, Mr. Speaker. The government is one thing, the party is another. The minister, the prime minister's post is separate, Parliament is separate. Understanding this fact, in the previous Parliament, when the current party president and vice-president of Nepali Congress were general secretaries at that time, they analyzed the weaknesses of their own government standing at the rostrum. Congress MPs used to raise questions and attack their own ministers and prime ministers on necessary issues. Therefore, with courage, we can say today that Congress is not a party of corpses and slaves. Standing on that courage, on that moral ground, we are able to speak. But today, I see a very tragic scene where the ability to question in this Parliament is committing suicide. I was hoping that someone from the ruling side would dare to ask, 'Where has my country encroached on anyone's border?' But Mr. Speaker, I am ashamed myself. On the contrary, some fellow MPs are running around with all their might to prove that Nepal has encroached on India's border, I wanted to use this word but I will say it. They are searching for the land that Nepal has encroached upon. Would not the soul of Veer Bhakti Thapa condemn such friends who engage in such acts that the public would not like to see?'

Leader Angdembe expressed concern, stating that he has witnessed the tragic scene of the ability to question in Parliament committing suicide due to the ruling party.