KATHMANDU: Talks between the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and opposition parties failed to produce a breakthrough on Monday after RSP Chair Rabi Lamichhane indicated that Prime Minister Balen Shah would not appear in Parliament to respond to concerns raised by the opposition.
The issue surfaced during an all-party meeting convened by Lamichhane in an effort to end the ongoing deadlock in the House of Representatives.
According to participants, Lamichhane informed opposition leaders that the prime minister would not come to the House to answer questions regarding his controversial remarks on Nepal’s border issues.
Instead, Lamichhane proposed that he and Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal could address Parliament and respond to the concerns raised by opposition parties.
The proposal was rejected by opposition leaders, who maintained that only the prime minister could clarify his own statement before the House.
CPN-UML Chief Whip Ain Bahadur Mahar said opposition parties made it clear during the meeting that parliamentary obstruction would continue until the prime minister personally appeared in Parliament.
The dispute stems from remarks made by Prime Minister Shah in Parliament on May 31 regarding Nepal-India border issues, which opposition parties have described as contrary to the national interest.
With neither side changing its position, the all-party meeting ended without an agreement, leaving the parliamentary impasse unresolved.
Opposition parties have reiterated that they will continue obstructing House proceedings until the prime minister addresses the chamber, while the ruling side has signaled that the government will rely on Lamichhane and the foreign minister to respond to the controversy.
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