KATHMANDU: Opposition parties represented in the House of Representatives have urged Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal to ensure regular question-and-answer sessions with the prime minister, saying lawmakers have numerous issues that require direct responses from the government.
The demand was raised during a meeting on Tuesday at Singha Durbar, where Speaker Aryal held discussions with chief whips and whips of parliamentary parties to prepare for the upcoming House session.
Following the meeting, Nepali Congress Chief Whip Basana Thapa said discussions focused on preparing a parliamentary calendar and ensuring the House functions in a more orderly and dignified manner.
She said the opposition would continue its protests until the prime minister provides a clear response on the border dispute.
Thapa added that the opposition had proposed regular question-and-answer sessions with the prime minister, and that the ruling side’s chief whip, through the Speaker, had committed to discussing the proposal with the prime minister.
CPN Chief Whip Yubaraj Dulal said the opposition had also called for the strict implementation of parliamentary rules requiring the prime minister to answer lawmakers’ questions during the first week of every month.
He further noted that despite assurances from the Minister for Law, not a single new bill has been registered for the House session scheduled to begin on July 30.
Meanwhile, Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Whip Prakash Chandra Pariyar said the government had provided sufficient legislative business for Parliament to continue functioning smoothly until the Dashain festival.
He said all parties had agreed to uphold the dignity, values and effectiveness of Parliament. Pariyar also said there was consensus on discouraging the growing practice of using special time in the House to raise issues unrelated to the main agenda or engage in personal criticism.
During the meeting, Speaker Aryal urged all parties to conduct parliamentary proceedings in a dignified and constructive manner. The House of Representatives is scheduled to reconvene on July 30 after a suspension of nearly two weeks.
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