KATHMANDU, June 14: Ramesh Lekhak, the chief whip of the main opposition party, Nepali Congress (NC), has demanded that Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal brief the House about his recent India visit.
Speaking during the emergency hour of the House of Representatives (HoR) meeting on Friday, Chief Whip Lekhak noted that it is customary in parliamentary practice for the prime minister to inform the House before embarking on visits to friendly nations. He mentioned, "The prime minister embarked on a two-day India visit on June 9. He has not yet briefed the House about his visit even though five days have passed. As the leader of the opposition party, I must remind the prime minister that he is the leader of the House."
Prime Minister Dahal visited India on June 9 to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his third term in office. Lekhak also pointed out that President Ram Chandra Paudel left to participate in the 112th session of the International Labour Conference in Geneva on June 11. He emphasized that it is inappropriate for the House to learn about the visits of the president and prime minister through newspapers.
PM Oli to brief parliament on India visit agenda today
He underlined that in some countries, it is customary for not only the head of state and prime minister but also ministers to inform the House before going on foreign visits when the House is in session. Lekhak further urged the Speaker to issue a special ruling on this matter.
Lekhak also demanded that Speaker Devraj Ghimire inform the House about the prime minister's India visit and the president's foreign visit soon after the commencement of the next Parliament meeting.
Speaker Devraj Ghimire has instructed the government to address the matters raised in the House of Representatives.
During Friday's session of the House of Representatives, Speaker Ghimire directed the government to respond to the issues raised by MPs during the zero hour, emergency hour, and special hour.
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