Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah will appear in the House of Representatives next week to answer questions from lawmakers, Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal said on Monday. The session comes amid opposition demands that Shah explain remarks he made in May in Parliament, when he said Nepal had also encroached on Indian territory.
“I inform the House that the direct question-and-answer session with the prime minister, under Chapter 9 of the House of Representatives Rules, 2026, has been scheduled for the meeting on August 26,” Aryal said. He said the session would allow at least one lawmaker from each party in the House to put a question to the prime minister and urged members to keep their questions brief.
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The opposition has been pressing Shah to respond to his remarks delivered during a House meeting on May 31. In his maiden appearance in Parliament that day, Shah had said that he had learnt about his country “encroaching” territories in India. Opposition lawmakers said the prime minister should either provide evidence to support that claim or withdraw the statement.
According to sources in the Parliament secretariat, Aryal directed Shah to respond to questions raised in the House on matters under his jurisdiction after repeated demands from opposition lawmakers. “I have drawn attention to the protests by honourable members, who have been asking for a long time that the prime minister respond to questions on important issues concerning the prime minister or areas under his jurisdiction, in line with Rule 56 of the House of Representatives Regulations 2083 BS,” Aryal said.
Later, Nepal’s Foreign Ministry said Shah’s comments were related to “no-man’s land encroachments” and “cross-border occupation” between the two countries, rather than any territorial claims. Nepal and India have had a long-running boundary dispute over Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani, with both sides claiming the areas. India maintains that the territories are part of Uttarakhand and has said the matter should be addressed through bilateral dialogue.
The August 26 session is set to give lawmakers from every party a chance to question Shah directly as the House takes up the controversy over his May 31 statement and other matters under the prime minister’s jurisdiction.
With PTI Inputs
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
