Nepal’s parliament risks another unproductive tenure

With vital business pending, the government and the opposition must act responsibly to end the House deadlock.

It’s happening all over, again. Early signs from the Parliament are worrying. The House of Representatives has seen repeated obstructions in just two months of the commencement of its current session. It all started when Prime Minister Balendra Shah left the House while President Ramchandra Paudel was still presenting the government’s policies and programmes. Breaking away from the established practice of the prime minister responding to lawmakers’ questions on the policies and programmes, Shah abstained from the Parliament and delegated the task to the finance minister. The opposition resorted to obstructing the House, demanding that the prime minister appear to answer questions. For days, Shah remained defiant and ignored the pressure.