INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Kathmandu, June 25
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli today skipped the question-answer session of the House of Representatives citing ‘busy
schedule&, riling lawmakers, who have long been complaining about the premier nonchalant attitude towards the Parliament.
Prime Minister
and Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Chair KP Sharma Oli in Kathmandu, on Friday, December 15, 2017
Photo courtesy: Dahal secretariat
Oli was supposed to answer lawmakers& questions on allocation of next fiscal year budget for the Office of
the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the President Office, the Vice-president Office and the National Planning Commission
He was also supposed to justify budget allocated for the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, as he has taken that portfolio
since the demise of tourism minister Rabindra Prasad Adhikari.
In his absence, Finance Minister Yubaraj Khatiwada answered questions raised
by lawmakers.
&PM absence is a tell-tale sign of him not being responsible towards the Parliament,& said Prem Suwal, a lawmaker from the
Nepal Workers and Peasants Party.
PM Oli has not entered the House since June 18 when he was barred from speaking by the opposition Nepali
The NC had obstructed House that day demanding that its president Sher Bahadur Deuba be allowed to present his views prior to allowing PM
But the House speaker denied NC request, leading to cancellation of the meeting.
Since that day, the House of Representatives has convened
But PM Oli has attended none.
&The PM is increasingly becoming negligent in his duties towards the Parliament,& said NC lawmaker Laxmi
Pariyar.
&He visited Europe without informing the Parliament
He didn&t even brief us about his Europe visit after returning to the country
Instead, he held a press conference to brief the media about his visit
It appears the PM wants to avoid lawmakers.&
Oli, according to his press adviser Kundan Aryal, had made up his mind yesterday to attend
&But he had to cancel the plan today as he was occupied with official work
That why he asked the finance minister to answer questions on his behalf,& Aryal told THT
&He did not skip the meeting on purpose.&
In parliamentary system, the prime minister is elected by the House
&So, the person should be responsible towards the House and attend its meetings,& said former secretary general of the Parliament Surya
Kiran Gurung.
When late PM Manmohan Adhikari was admitted to Teaching Hospital after suffering injuries in a helicopter accident he had
answered lawmakers& questions from the hospital bed, according to Gurung
&The responses made by Adhikari were broadcast live by Nepal Television,& Gurung said, adding,
&The PM should contemplate on precedents made
in the past before skipping House meetings.&
The post PM skips House meet raising lawmakers& ire appeared first on The Himalayan Times.
