KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Balen Shah will not deliver a speech at the Republic Day ceremony scheduled to be held at the Army Pavilion, Tundikhel, on May 29.
According to sources, Prime Minister Shah has written to President Ram Chandra Paudel through the chief secretary, requesting the President to address the main Republic Day ceremony instead.
The development comes after Prime Minister Shah walked out midway during President Ram Chandra Paudel’s presentation of the government’s policies and programs for the upcoming fiscal year at the joint session of the Federal Parliament on May 11. Since then, he has not returned to the parliamentary proceedings.
Shah has faced criticism for allegedly disregarding the legislature after reportedly remaining at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, located around 200 meters from the Parliament building, while watching the live telecast of the session on television.
Traditionally, although the President attends the Republic Day celebrations, the Prime Minister has delivered the main address at the annual event organized by the government at Tundikhel.
However, Shah has now handed over that responsibility to the President, marking a possible break from the long-standing tradition.
Earlier, on April 9, Prime Minister Balen Shah had addressed newly commissioned officers of the Nepali Army at Kharipati, Bhaktapur, urging them to remain disciplined, responsible, and committed to national service.
Speaking at the commissioning parade ceremony organized at the Nepali Military Academy, he had congratulated officer cadets for successfully completing nearly 36 months of rigorous training.
Nepal’s Constituent Assembly formally abolished the 238-year-old monarchy and declared the country a republic on May 28, 2008. Since then, it has been customary for the Prime Minister to address the annual Republic Day celebrations.
If President Ram Chandra Paudel delivers the main address this year, it will mark the first time the established tradition has been altered.
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