Himal Press 
Renuka Kauchha
KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress (NC) lawmaker Renuka Kauchha has urged Prime Minister Balendra Shah to take off his dark glasses, assuring that the opposition would support any right steps taken in the national interest.
Opposition lawmakers stood up in protest as soon as Monday’s meeting of the House of Representatives began. They have been consistently objecting to Prime Minister Shah’s remarks on the Nepal-India border issue.
Following the protest, Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal allowed NC lawmaker Kauchha to speak. Referring to the prime minister’s social media post suggesting that he was fighting alone, she said, “Take off your dark glasses—you are not alone. The opposition stands with you in any correct step you take in the interest of the country.”
Kauchha said the opposition would support the government’s good work while holding it accountable for its mistakes. However, she added that the opposition could not remain silent if the government weakens due process, democratic values, the constitution, or parliamentary norms.
“Asking questions is not obstruction, and cautioning the government is not an insult,” she said. “What compelled the Prime Minister to say on social media late at night that he felt alone?”
Claiming that the prime minister’s remarks on the border issue were affecting his political credibility, Kauchha also urged him to correct the statement recorded in parliament.
“Admitting mistakes is not weakness; correcting them is a sign of leadership,” she said. “The opposition does not seek to insult you. We are not trying to lessen the weight of the prime minister’s office, but to strengthen it.”
Addressing the House on May 31, the Prime Minister sparked an uproar by claiming that not only India but also Nepal has encroached on Indian land. Although the foreign ministry later said the Prime Minister was referring to cross-border occupation and encroachment in the no-man’s-land, opposition lawmakers have been demanding that the Prime Minister apologize for the statement and that it be expunged from parliamentary records.
