During Wednesday’s House of Representatives session, opposition parties sharply criticised the government’s handling of the Rasuwa flood disaster, even as search and rescue operations continued for thousands of citizens who remained uncontactable.
Congress: Government chased publicity, not rescue
Nepali Congress parliamentary party leader Bhishma Raj Angdembe accused the government of getting “tangled up in social media” instead of reaching at-risk communities in time.
“After hearing the cries of victims’ families waiting for site visits and rescue, I am compelled to say in this House today, the government got caught up in social media, and failed to reach the at-risk community in time,” he said. “It focused more on managing publicity than saving lives. There was more happening on Facebook than in the field.”
Angdembe contrasted this with the 2015 earthquake response, when international rescue teams from 34 countries arrived within 12 hours. He accused the current government of failing to coordinate with local governments, keeping hydropower project staff and the private sector out of affected areas, ignoring engineers and technical experts, and neither acting itself nor letting others act.
He was especially critical of the delayed tunnel rescue.
“After seven days had passed, the government raised its hands and said, ‘ Search inside the tunnel yourselves.’ What kind of sensitivity and responsibility is this? Isn’t this insensitivity, caused by delay, turning deaths inside that tunnel into something like killings? “
Angdembe also said families searching for missing relatives had faced verbal abuse and threats, and urged the government to make saving lives, searching for the missing, delivering relief, securing the displaced, and beginning rehabilitation and reconstruction its sole priorities.
“This is not a time to seek political points. It is a time for the nation to unite and save citizens’ lives,” he said.
3,916 people still uncontactable across 62 districts
In a separate address to the same House session, Angdembe called the delay in rescuing civilians trapped inside the tunnel “inhumane and serious.”
He informed lawmakers that 3,916 people across 62 districts remain out of contact, warning the number could still rise. He said that from the outset, rescue efforts should have brought together government agencies, the private sector, and, where necessary, international technology and expert teams.
Prachanda: Army mobilised, but not the people
Meanwhile, opposition Nepali Communist Party coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda) told the House that a real solution to the crisis remains impossible without mobilising ordinary citizens alongside the army.
“The army was mobilised, but the people were not,” Prachanda said, adding that he had repeatedly urged the government to bring in public participation and align federal, provincial and local governments, a call he said he had also made directly to ministers and ruling party leaders.
Despite his criticism, Prachanda praised the Nepal Army’s role in the disaster zone, noting the Prime Minister and ministers had been visibly active on the ground and that soldiers had taken major risks in rescue and relief work.
“We are thankful to them,” he said.
Prachanda questions PM’s style
In a separate, pointed remark, Prachanda questioned Prime Minister Balen Shah’s conduct in the House, saying the PM had failed to win the trust of all lawmakers, including members of his own side.
“He comes and leaves without looking at anyone’s face; what kind of attitude is this?” Prachanda asked.
He said Balen had been handed a major opportunity that should not be squandered, and that the country needed presence and leadership, not lengthy speeches or social media posts.
“You may have won the election through social media posts, but this crisis will not be solved that way,” Prachanda said. With the nation in crisis, he stressed that unity was the Prime Minister’s responsibility, and warned that if he failed to earn everyone’s trust, “time may not wait for him either.”
UML demands task forces for foreign aid and reconstruction
Separately, CPN-UML parliamentary party leader Ram Bahadur Thapa (Badal) called for the formation of two special task forces, one led by the Foreign Minister to coordinate international assistance and compensation, and another led by the Finance Minister to oversee reconstruction.
He also urged the Prime Minister to make a “qualitative change” in what he called a one-man style of governance, and to keep Parliament continuously updated on the government’s plans.
Thapa additionally proposed an immediate mechanism bringing together political parties, civil society and experts to tackle the ongoing crisis, along with a special parliamentary committee, led by the Speaker, to monitor, alert and support the government.
“To address the climate-driven crisis, the government must immediately move forward with a second edition of the Sagarmatha Dialogue to build international solidarity and strategy,” Thapa said.
