Nepali Congress Balendra Shah Parliament Boycott Nepal Politics Opposition

Nepali Congress Escalates Pressure With Parliament Committee Boycott Over PM Shah’s Absence

Nepali Congress has intensified its standoff with the government by boycotting parliamentary committee meetings until June 8, demanding an apology from Prime Minister Balendra Shah in parliament.

Apple Nepal

The Nepali Congress has escalated its confrontation with the government by announcing a boycott of all parliamentary committee meetings until June 8, deepening its ongoing obstruction of parliament.

The move comes after the party walked out of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee meeting when Prime Minister Balendra Shah failed to appear for a second consecutive time. According to reports, lawmakers had been preparing to question him on security administration and the Ministry of Home Affairs, which he is currently handling following the resignation of former Home Minister Sudan Gurung on April 22.

Party leader Bhishmaraj Angdembe said the boycott will remain in place until Shah apologizes in parliament, turning a committee-level protest into a broader institutional showdown.

Why the boycott matters

The committee boycott is more than a symbolic gesture. It signals that the opposition is willing to disrupt routine parliamentary work to force a political response from the prime minister.

By refusing to participate in committee meetings, the Nepali Congress is increasing pressure on the government while also limiting the legislature's ability to function normally. The tactic suggests the dispute is moving beyond a single missed appearance and into a wider battle over accountability and authority.

What triggered the latest escalation

The immediate trigger was Shah's repeated absence from the committee session, which opposition lawmakers say left them without answers on key issues tied to internal security and the home ministry.

Congress lawmakers had reportedly informed the committee chair ahead of time that they were concerned about the prime minister's absence. When he did not show up again, they boycotted the meeting in protest.

What happens next

For now, the party's position is clear: no committee participation until June 8, unless Shah apologizes in parliament sooner. That makes the next few days critical for whether the standoff cools down or spreads further across the legislature.

If the deadlock continues, the dispute could further slow parliamentary business and sharpen tensions between the opposition and the ruling side.