KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Balen Shah remained inside Singha Durbar on Wednesday while watching live proceedings of the House of Representatives as opposition parties obstructed Parliament over his absence from the chamber.
The House witnessed repeated disruptions after opposition lawmakers accused the Prime Minister of failing to attend discussions on the government’s policy and programme for the upcoming fiscal year.
According to sources, Shah stayed inside Singha Durbar throughout the parliamentary session and followed the proceedings via live broadcast as tensions escalated inside the federal legislature.
Inside Parliament, opposition parties including the Nepali Congress, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist), and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party demanded that the Prime Minister personally appear and respond to lawmakers’ questions on the policy and programme.
Opposition leaders said the Prime Minister had effectively ignored Parliament by delegating the responsibility of responding to Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle instead of attending the session himself.
The House of Representatives remained obstructed for hours as lawmakers stood up, chanted slogans, and refused to allow proceedings to move forward.
Nepali Congress parliamentary party leader Bhishmaraj Angdembe said the opposition had allowed the policy and programme to be tabled but insisted that the Prime Minister must be present during the debate and response phase.
“The Prime Minister must come to Parliament. Without his presence, discussions cannot proceed,” Angdembe said.
The Speaker, Dol Prasad Aryal, attempted multiple times to resume proceedings but eventually adjourned the House amid continuous protests.
Sources said Shah was aware of the situation in real time while watching the live broadcast from Singha Durbar, though his secretariat did not provide a clear explanation for his absence from Parliament.
The standoff continued as opposition parties maintained their demand for the Prime Minister’s personal appearance, leaving the House in prolonged deadlock.
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