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Proceedings in both houses of Nepal's Parliament were disrupted on Monday as lawmakers protested against Prime Minister Balendra Shah's recent remarks on the border-related issue.
Members of the House of Representatives and the National Assembly of Nepal staged demonstrations, demanding an apology from Shah and the removal of his remarks from the parliamentary records. Opposition parties, who had obstructed the session in the House of Representatives, continued their protest on Monday, insisting that the Prime Minister retract his statement. Gyan Bahadur Shahi, a lawmaker from the Rastriya Prajatantra Party in the House of Representatives, said any remarks made by the Prime Minister should be based on facts. "When a Prime Minister makes any statement or claim, then it becomes the official announcement; the international community perceives it as the official view; the public accepts it as the ultimate truth. Any statement given by the Prime Minister should be based on the facts, evidence and reality. A nation can never moves ahead based on projections but on the facts and figures; emotions might draw applause, but it is the facts that win the trust." Shahi said the House Speaker should remove the Prime Minister's remarks. The protest extended to the National Assembly, where lawmakers also objected to the statement. Ranjit Karna, member of the National Assembly, said if the Prime Minister cannot give the evidence about his remarks, he should apologise to people. "I want to send a request to the government via the Chairman of the (upper) house about the places where Nepal has encroached on the land of our neighbour India within 24 hours. If he (the Prime Minister) cannot give the evidence about it, then he should apologise to the public, and I also demand the formation of the investigation committee to look into the scenario where the Prime Minister got to make such a statement from the National Assembly." Other MPs, including Rajendra Lakshmi Gaire, Ram Kumari Jhakri, and Tula Prasad Bishwakarma, demanded an official clarification from the government. Lawmakers stood in protest, effectively halting the assembly's proceedings. The controversy stems from Prime Minister Shah's statement on Sunday which drew immediate protests from opposition lawmakers, who called the claims baseless and demanded evidence. In response, Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a clarification. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lok Bahadur Paudel Kshetri said the Prime Minister's comments refer to issues "related to boundary pillars, no-man's land (dashgaja), and cross-border land usage". He explained that, based on technical studies, there are areas where land currently used by Nepal may fall on the Indian side, and vice versa. Reaffirming Nepal's position, the ministry said the government remains committed to resolving boundary issues through diplomatic dialogue based on historical treaties, maps and agreements. India's Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal last month responded to media queries regarding comments made by the Foreign Ministry of Nepal on the border issue in the context of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and said India's position in this regard had been consistent and clear. "Lipulekh Pass has been a long-standing route for the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra since 1954, and the Yatra through this route has been going on for decades. This is not a new development," he said. Jaiswal further said that with regard to territorial claims, India has consistently maintained that such claims are neither justified nor based on historical facts and evidence. "Such unilateral artificial enlargement of territorial claims is untenable," he added. Jasiwal stated that India remains open to constructive interaction with Nepal on all issues of the bilateral ties. "India remains open to a constructive interaction with Nepal on all issues in the bilateral relationship, including on resolving agreed outstanding boundary issues through dialogue and diplomacy," it added. (ANI)
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