Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The government’s policies and programs for the fiscal year 2026/27 were endorsed by a majority in the House of Representatives on Thursday despite a boycott and obstruction by opposition parties.
The document was passed after Minister for Finance Dr Swarnim Wagle responded, on behalf of Prime Minister Balen Shah, to issues raised during deliberations on the policies and programs. The proposal was then presented for approval and endorsed by a majority vote.
President Ramchandra Paudel had presented the policies and programs in the joint sitting of the federal parliament on Monday. Although the document was tabled in the House of Representatives for discussion on Wednesday, opposition parties repeatedly obstructed the meeting, insisting that deliberations cannot proceed in the absence of the Prime Minister. On Thursday, however, opposition lawmakers participated in the discussion.
During the deliberations, opposition lawmakers strongly criticized Prime Minister Balen Shah’s working style. They objected to what they described as the government’s disregard for parliamentary tradition, arguing that it has been customary for the Prime Minister to personally respond to questions raised on the government’s policies and programs.
After the discussion, opposition parties obstructed the meeting, demanding that the Prime Minister attend the session. Following the obstruction, Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal adjourned the meeting for 15 minutes.
A total of 35 lawmakers who had registered amendment proposals on various points of the policies and programmes, along with 41 lawmakers representing political parties, took part in the discussion.
When the session resumed after about half an hour, and no consensus was reached, Speaker Aryal allowed Minister Wagle to respond on behalf of the Prime Minister despite continued obstruction and boycott by opposition parties. Following this, lawmakers from the CPN-UML, Nepali Communist Party, Shram Sanskriti Party and Rastriya Prajatantra Party boycotted the meeting, while lawmakers from the Nepali Congress continued protesting from their seats.
All 35 amendment proposals registered against the policies and programs were rejected by a majority vote.
