Nepali Congress MP Chandra Bahadur KC has demanded Prime Minister Balen Shah clarify his controversial remarks on Nepal-India border issues during the current parliamentary session, which is set to conclude on Friday.
Speaking at the National Assembly, the upper house of parliament, on Thursday, MP KC stated that if Prime Minister Shah fails to provide an explanation, his statement should be removed from parliamentary records. The 21st session of parliament is scheduled to end at midnight on Friday.
MP KC also urged the government to immediately proceed with the maintenance, repair, and reconstruction of bridges and roads along the Kaligandaki River corridor. He specifically called for urgent repairs to the suspension bridge in Dodhara Chandani, Kanchanpur.
Background on border remarks
Prime Minister Shah made the controversial remarks on Jeth 17 (BS) in the House of Representatives, the lower house of parliament, suggesting that Nepal had also encroached on Indian territory and that discussions were underway with the British government to resolve border disputes. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs later issued a clarification, stating that the Prime Minister’s remarks were related to ‘cross-border occupation’.
On Asar 7 (BS), Prime Minister Shah defended his statement at the general convention of the Rastriya Swatantra Party in Chitwan, clarifying that he was not seeking British mediation but rather gathering evidence from the British colonial period. Opposition lawmakers have since strongly protested his remarks, demanding their removal from parliamentary records.
Lawmakers from the Labor Culture Party also reiterated demands for the removal of the Prime Minister’s statement from parliamentary records during Wednesday and Thursday’s parliamentary sessions.
Infrastructure demands and parliamentary context
Prime Minister Shah has faced criticism for his low attendance in parliament, having been present for only nine out of 79 sessions during the current parliamentary term.
The suspension bridge over the Mahakali River in Dodhara Chandani, Kanchanpur, has been closed to traffic after one of its pillars was recently damaged by floods. Similarly, various sections of the Kaligandaki corridor were obstructed by floods and landslides, though some sections have since reopened after repairs.
It remains officially unknown whether Prime Minister Shah will address the border remarks before the 21st federal parliamentary session concludes. The timelines for the repair and reconstruction of the Kaligandaki corridor and the Dodhara Chandani suspension bridge are also yet to be announced.
