Opinion Discontentment over ‘breach’ of protocol brews in Nepal Parliament

Nidhi, a leader of the Nepali Congress, is furious with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal for having inducted Kamal Thapa, leader of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, as the senior most deputy Prime Minister about a month ago, naturally altering seating order and arrangement both in the cabinet as well as in the Parliament.

Nidhi declared on Twitter that he will not be attending the cabinet meeting unless his seniority was restored, but will continue to discharge his responsibility as the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Home Affairs. A unique situation arose in the House on Friday when he was called by the Speaker in his absence, and he entered the House immediately, to respond to certain points raised by the members on the ‘poor law and order situation’.

The minister straight away moved to the rostrum to respond to the point, and left the House immediately without occupying the seat allotted to him even for a second, something practice, tradition, manner and etiquette do not allow.

This is the second time Nidhi displayed ‘ill-mannerism’ publically after he was deprived off the senior most Deputy PM’s position. Three weeks ago, he created a scene at the airport when Thapa occupied the seat closest to Prime Minister Dahal, at the Tribhuvan International Airport, when he returned from an official trip to China. Opposition members in Parliament have called it a ‘contempt’ of the House and are planning to raise the issue when the House meets again.