KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Balen Shah, known for his brief speeches, continued his reserved approach during consultations with lawmakers from Koshi and Karnali provinces on Monday.
Even during his election campaign, Shah rarely spoke for more than three minutes, and in his first Cabinet meeting after assuming office last Friday, he also spoke for only three minutes. In that meeting, he reportedly warned secretaries that those unable to work should resign.
On Monday, Shah met with lawmakers elected from all parties in the two provinces at the Prime Minister and Cabinet Office in Singha Durbar. While the discussions lasted around two and a half hours, the Prime Minister did not respond to any questions raised by the lawmakers.
“We presented our points one by one. He did not respond at all,” said Rajendra Kumar Rai of CPN-UML. He added that issues ranging from the arrest of party chairperson KP Oli to concerns about public livelihoods were raised, but Shah remained silent throughout.
Shah reportedly welcomed the lawmakers at the beginning of the meeting, expressing that he was pleased to meet them. Beyond that brief greeting, no further comments were made.
The consultations, which started at 11:30 a.m., were characterized by a largely one-sided discussion, with lawmakers presenting their concerns while the Prime Minister maintained his silence.
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