Parliamentary Obstruction Ends After Foreign Minister Clarifies PM's Statement on Border Dispute

Kathmandu. The obstruction in the House of Representatives, which began after Prime Minister Balendra Shah's statement on Jestha 17 that 'India's land has been encroached upon by Nepal,' has ended. Opposition parties became flexible to start the budget discussion in the parliament after Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal gave a clarification on behalf of the Prime Minister on Wednesday.

Speaking in the House of Representatives, Foreign Minister Khanal stated that areas including Lipulek, Limpiyadhura, and Kalapani are integral parts of Nepal and the government's official stance on this matter is clear. He informed that the government is committed to resolving border-related issues through diplomatic means and based on historical facts and maps, and continuous dialogue is ongoing with India for this purpose.

Clarifying the Prime Minister's statement regarding Britain's role in the context of the 1816 Sugauli Treaty, the minister clarified that Nepal is not seeking any third-party mediation and the mention of the then signatory's name was only for historical facts and reference materials.

He argued that the border dispute is a bilateral issue between Nepal and India and the government is firm on resolving it through mutual understanding.

Similarly, the minister stated that technical teams are active for the encroachment of the 'no-man's land' area and the management of border pillars, and the Joint Field Survey Team is working in various locations. He assured the house that the government is working with national interests at its center to resolve problems in the border areas scientifically and to further strengthen the relationship between the two countries.

After this, the session proceeded with the discussion on the budget for the fiscal year after speeches by the leader of the main opposition party Nepali Congress's parliamentary party Bhishma Raj Angdembe, UML parliamentary party leader Ram Bahadur Thapa, Nepali Communist Party leader Pravesh Hamal, Rastriya Prajatantra Party parliamentary party leader Gyan Bahadur Shahi, and Shram Sanskriti Party leader Harkaraj Rai.

Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal, who pushed through the meetings of the House of Representatives on Jestha 17, 18, and 19 amidst opposition obstruction, postponed it for 5 days after an agreement could not be reached to resolve the problem. Speaker Aryal did not take any initiative to resolve the problem until the 24th.

The meetings of the House of Representatives on Jestha 24, 25, and 26 were postponed without entering the agenda.

Today, after repeated meetings between the chairman of the ruling party Rastriya Swatantra Party, Ravi Lamichhane, and Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal, the opposition parties have agreed to change their protest programs.

They stated that their demand remains that the Prime Minister should come to the parliament's rostrum and correct his statement, and his statement from Jestha 17 should be removed from the parliamentary record.

Congress leader Angdembe strongly opposed Prime Minister Shah's statement during a special time. He said, 'The Prime Minister's statement that 'Nepal has encroached upon the neighbor's border' is irresponsible, objectionable, and shameful. Lipulek, Kalapani, and Limpiyadhura are Nepal's territories. When the parliament itself has passed the map, it is not appropriate for the Prime Minister to try to portray his own country as an 'encroacher'. It should be corrected. That statement should be removed from the parliamentary record.'

UML parliamentary party leader 'Badal' stated that a crisis has arisen in the country since Prime Minister Balen Shah's statement on Jestha 17 that Nepal has encroached upon India's land.

He said that the crisis would only end after the Prime Minister's statement is removed from the parliamentary record. 'The crisis will be resolved when Prime Minister Balen withdraws his statement and apologizes from the parliament's rostrum, or when Rastriya Swatantra Party chairman Lamichhane makes his Prime Minister apologize, or when Speaker Aryal removes the Prime Minister's statement from the parliamentary record,' Badal said.

Nepali Communist Party MP Hamal expressed sorrow over the parliament being divided for the first time in discussions regarding Nepal's border.

Hamal said that Prime Minister Balen should apologize to the Nepali people and his statement should be removed from the parliamentary record.

Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) parliamentary party leader Shahi said that the minister has done the opposite by correcting the mistake made by the Prime Minister in Nepal. 'In a normal responsible mature governance system, it is the exact opposite. If there is a diplomatic error by a minister, MP, or other official, the Prime Minister takes parental responsibility and corrects it. He clarifies the national stance and moves the country in a unified direction. But unfortunately, today we are seeing the opposite situation,' he said.

Shram Sanskriti Party's Rai also said that the Prime Minister should withdraw his statement from the parliament's rostrum and it should be removed from the parliamentary record.