Kathmandu, August 25
A direct question-and-answer session with the Prime Minister will be held during Wednesday’s House of Representatives meeting, with 11 MPs set to question PM Balen Shah.
According to the Parliament Secretariat, ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) MPs Samikshya Baskota, Krishna Hari Budhathoki, and Amaresh Kumar Singh will ask questions.
Main opposition Nepali Congress Chief Whip Basana Thapa and MP Geeta Gurung are also set to question the PM.
CPN-UML Chief Whip Ain Bahadur Mahar and MP Ganesh Singh Thagunna have registered to ask questions, as have Nepal Communist Party (NCP) MPs Barsaman Pun and Prakash Kumar Hamal.
Shram Sanskriti Party parliamentary leader Harkaraj Rai and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Chief Whip Khushbu Oli will also participate.
The MPs have already submitted their intended questions in writing to the Parliament Secretariat.
Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal had earlier fixed the schedule for this direct Q&A session during the House meeting on August 17.
Rule 56 of the House of Representatives Regulations provides for such a direct question-and-answer program, stating that the Speaker shall set aside the first hour of one meeting during the first week of every month for MPs to ask the Prime Minister questions on important matters directly related to his office. Accordingly, Wednesday’s session was scheduled.
Under Rule 57, such sessions may be broadcast live through government and other media.
Rule 58 requires MPs wishing to question the Prime Minister to submit written notice of their question’s subject to the Speaker at least three days before the sitting. Speaker Ghimire had given MPs until August 21 to register their questions, and 11 MPs did so.
Up to 15 MPs could have asked questions, but only 11 registered. The Speaker had allocated slots based on party representation, with one MP guaranteed per party and the remaining slots distributed proportionally. Under this formula, RSP could have had up to seven MPs ask questions, but only three registered.
Rule 59 stipulates that the Speaker will decide whether a submitted question is admissible, with other procedures for the session determined by the Speaker. Rule 60 states that no discussion will be held in the House regarding the Prime Minister’s answers under this chapter.
