Opposition Leader Ram Bahadur Thapa 'Badal' States PM Balen Shah and Rabi Lamichhane Hold Key to Ending Parliamentary Stalemate

Kathmandu. Opposition party CPN (UML) Parliamentary Party leader Ram Bahadur Thapa 'Badal' has stated that the key to ending the ongoing parliamentary deadlock lies with Prime Minister Balen Shah and Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chairman Rabi Lamichhane. Speaking in the House of Representatives meeting on Wednesday, he also put forward three conditions for resolving the parliamentary crisis.

The UML has been protesting in parliament, stating that Prime Minister Shah's statement that Nepal has encroached upon India's land is anti-national and baseless. Leader Thapa said that his party strongly disagrees with the clarification given by the Foreign Minister regarding the Prime Minister's recent statement. He demanded that the Prime Minister himself should appear in the rostrum and respond, rather than the Foreign Minister defending the Prime Minister's announcement or statement.

Accusing the Prime Minister of continuously neglecting and mocking parliament, Thapa described it as a sign of autocracy and authoritarianism. He questioned what direction the Prime Minister's working style was taking the country. During his address, Thapa, quoting a statement from an RSP lawmaker, mentioned that serious doubts have arisen whether Nepal's current governance system and the rulers' working style are heading towards a 'Pakistani model'.

Speaking in the meeting, Leader Thapa said, 'The Foreign Minister defended the Prime Minister's statement, saying it was correct. But we do not agree with that clarification. The Prime Minister himself must provide the clarification. Why does he want to avoid the rostrum, disrespecting and neglecting parliament? Is this autocracy or authoritarianism? According to a statement by an RSP lawmaker, serious doubts have arisen whether Nepal is heading towards a Pakistani model.'

Leader Thapa clarified that there are primarily two individuals and three options to resolve the current crisis in parliament. His first option is that if the Prime Minister accepts on the parliament's rostrum that his statement was a historical mistake, the parliamentary crisis will be resolved immediately.

If the Prime Minister does not do so, Thapa stated that RSP Chairman Lamichhane, in his capacity as party chairman, should instruct the Prime Minister to withdraw the statement, calling it anti-national. If neither of these happens, the UML's demand is for the third option: Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal to make a ruling to remove the Prime Minister's statement from the parliamentary record.

'The solution to this crisis lies in the hands of two individuals, the Prime Minister and the RSP Chairman,' Thapa said. 'If the Prime Minister comes to the rostrum and accepts that his statement about Nepal having encroached upon a lot of Indian land is not in line with historical facts and was a historical mistake, the crisis will be resolved. This will also be resolved if the RSP Chairman instructs his party member to withdraw the baseless and anti-national statement. The third option is for the Speaker to make a ruling to remove the baseless statement from the parliamentary records.'

Thapa clarified that opposition parties are compelled to protest because the Prime Minister made an anti-national and baseless statement in parliament. He warned that UML's struggle for nationality, national self-respect, and the country's dignity will continue until their demands are met.