Prime Minister Shah unresponsive to Speaker Aryal’s request to attend Parliament

Prime Minister Balendra Shah was left unresponsive after Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal visited him. Aryal had gone to urge Shah to attend Parliament after opposition parties obstructed the session, demanding that the Prime Minister participate in a question-and-answer session as per the parliamentary rules. Aryal returned without a positive response from Shah.

Opposition parties disrupted Wednesday’s parliamentary session, insisting on a Q&A session with the Prime Minister during the first week of every month, as stipulated by Rule 56.

Shah has been avoiding Parliament since he did not attend discussions or respond to the government’s policies and programs. This absence has led opposition parties to question the Speaker’s role and demand Shah’s presence in Parliament. Even after the session was adjourned for 15 minutes, Aryal’s attempt to meet Shah within Singha Durbar did not yield a positive outcome, according to a Parliament Secretariat official.

Rule 56 states that the Speaker shall allocate the first hour of a session in the first week of each month for questions directly related to the Prime Minister’s domain. Fifteen MPs are allowed to ask questions under this provision.

Previously, Prime Minister Balendra Shah had ignored parliamentary sessions during discussions and responses to government policies. On Wednesday, Law Minister Sobita Gautam presented a proposal related to the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation after Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal allocated time for it. This prompted protests from opposition parties, including UML, CPN, Labour Culture, and RPP. They have resolved not to allow the session to proceed until the Q&A with the Prime Minister is settled.