Kathmandu, Jun 3: The Upper House of Nepal’s Parliament was adjourned on Wednesday after opposition lawmakers continued their protest against Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s remarks about the Himalayan nation’s border issues with India.
National Assembly chairman Narayan Prasad Dahal adjourned the House until 1.15 pm on June 9, according to the Parliament Secretariat.
Parliament proceedings have been obstructed, leading to adjournments since Shah, who is popularly known as Balen, said on Sunday that “Not only India, but Nepal has also encroached territories of India at many places”. His comments sparked controversy.
Balen, in his remarks, also suggested without elaborating that India and Nepal have agreed to seek help from historians, surveyors and experts to reach a resolution, adding that Kathmandu has also taken up the matter with China and the United Kingdom. India on Tuesday categorically rejected any role for “third parties” to resolve its boundary row with Nepal.
As per the schedule for Wednesday, Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle was supposed to present the government’s estimated revenue and expenditure for the fiscal year 2026-27 in the National Assembly for discussion. The meeting was adjourned without entering the schedule.
The National Assembly meeting was also adjourned on Tuesday after opposition demanded PM Balen’s apology on the statement, and its withdrawal and deletion from the Parliament records.
The Lower House — House of Representatives — was also adjourned on Tuesday until June 8 due to similar protests.
Nepal and India have had an old boundary dispute over Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani, with both countries claiming the areas. India maintains that the territories are part of Uttarakhand and has said the issue should be addressed through bilateral dialogue.
On Tuesday, Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that while “close to 98 per cent of the India-Nepal boundary has been demarcated, there are some unresolved segments. The shifting of the course of the Gandak river has resulted in this situation.”
“In addition, there are cases of cross-border occupation and encroachment of No-Man’s land in demarcated segments of the boundary which are currently being mapped jointly,” he said. (PTI)
