KATHMANDU: The House of Representatives witnessed heated exchanges on Thursday as opposition lawmakers fiercely questioned the impartiality of Speaker Dol Prasad (DP) Aryal and demanded accountability from Prime Minister Balendra Shah.

Main opposition party Nepali Congress whip Nischal Rai openly criticized the Speaker’s conduct during the session, accusing him of failing to maintain a neutral stance when the opposition attempts to hold the government accountable.

MP Rai strongly objected to the Speaker labeling recent protests by the Shram Sanskriti Party as “undignified,” reminding the house of the Rastriya Swatantra Party’s past actions of wearing blue scarves in parliament.

Questioning the double standard, the Nepali Congress whip asked how past protests by the Speaker’s own former colleagues were deemed parliamentary while the current placard-waving is labeled unparliamentary, urging the Speaker to uphold the true dignity of the house.

The criticism came as Shram Sanskriti Party MP Harkaraj Rai (Sampang) continued his persistent protest, standing up to display placards immediately as Thursday’s session commenced—a demonstration he has maintained consistently since May 17.

Recognizing the ongoing protest, Speaker Aryal granted him floor time to speak, during which MP Rai launched a scathing attack on the government’s silence.

He pointed out that under parliamentary regulations, ministers are legally required to answer lawmakers’ questions within seven days.

Despite this rule, critical questions raised by his party regarding the Lipulekh border issues and national security on May 11 have remained completely unanswered.

Since Prime Minister Shah currently oversees both the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Defence, MP Rai asserted that the Prime Minister must personally appear before the House of Representatives to provide these long-overdue explanations.

Issuing a stern ultimatum, the Shram Sanskriti Party lawmaker declared that if Prime Minister Shah is incapable of fulfilling his administrative duties and addressing crucial national security queries, he should step down and clear the path for an alternative leadership.