Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Question-and-answer session between the Prime Minister and lawmakers commenced in the House of Representatives on Thursday. According to Speaker Devraj Ghimire, such sessions, addressing issues directly related to the people, will be conducted during the first week of every Nepali month when the parliament is in session.
In accordance with the rules of the House of Representatives, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal answered questions registered by the lawmakers at the Federal Parliament Secretariat three days ago. Lawmakers raised questions regarding education, finance, foreign policy, corruption in the Bhutanese refugee case, and more. Prime Minister Dahal responded to most of the questions raised by the MPs.
While opposition lawmakers accused the Prime Minister of answering without adequate preparation and neglecting important questions, those of the ruling parties claimed that the session was lively. Expressing their sentiments after the meeting, lawmakers said that regular and effective question-and-answer sessions are necessary.
Padam Giri, the chief whip of the CPN-UML, commented that Prime Minister Dahal did not answer the questions raised by lawmakers seriously. “The session was merely a formality,” Giri said, adding that the Dahal failed to provide a concrete plan to bail the economy out of the crisis.
Maoist Center’s Madhav Sapkota, however, contended that the question-and-answer session with the Prime Minister was lively. He praised the Prime Minister for providing comprehensive answers, addressing events up to the morning of the session, and not restricting himself to prepared notes.
Independent member Amresh Kumar Singh, on the other hand, expressed dissatisfaction with the Prime Minister, stating that the latter ignored his questions. He also expressed concerns on the dominance of larger parties and a lack of representation for smaller parties in parliament. “The session fell short of expectations,” he added.
Yogesh Kumar Bhattarai of UML criticized the question-and-answer session, stating that pre-planned questions and prepared answers do not make the session lively. “The program itself lacked liveliness. The Prime Minister should respond directly to make the session more engaging,” he added.
Comparing the question-and-answer session to ‘match-fixing’ in games, Manish Jha of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) said specific questions such as the issue of helicopter expenses during PM’s election campaigning and exemption of tax for Ullens School remained unanswered. “It looked like a scripted event,” he added.
Another RSP lawmaker, Biraj Bhakta Shrestha, said the Prime Minister skipped several questions. “Nevertheless, it’s a very good beginning,” he added.
UML parliamentary party leader, KP Sharma Oli, emphasized that citizens should be able to perceive the questions raised by lawmakers as their own. “The Prime Minister’s responses should be trustworthy,” Oli wrote in a social media post. “Answers alone aren’t enough. People should be able to experience the results delivered.”
