Nepal PM Balen Shah faces dissent within his own party

Barely four months into his tenure, Nepal's PM Balen Shah is facing criticism over his governance style.

Balen Shah has not yet completed four months as the Prime Minister of Nepal, but questions are already being raised about his government's functioning. Notably, the criticism is not limited to the opposition; voices of dissent are also emerging within his own party, the Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP).

Recently, in the House of Representatives, RSP MP Jagdish Kharel stated that the government cannot run solely on the popularity of the Prime Minister. Raising the issue of the role and respect of MPs, he asked whether their responsibility is limited to just thumping desks in Parliament.

According to the Nepali newspaper Kantipur, several RSP MPs are continuously questioning the government's decisions and the functioning of ministers. MP Karishma Katharia suggested that the government should publicly apologise for not providing fertilisers to farmers on time, while also questioning the functioning of the Ministry of Agriculture.

RSP MP Amresh Kumar Singh said that in a democracy, even the Prime Minister is not above questioning. According to him, the government currently faces no threat, but it should seriously reconsider its functioning.

Meanwhile, a report in the English newspaper My Republica on July 13 claimed that RSP chief Rabi Lamichhane is also not fully satisfied with Balen Shah's work. According to the report, in a recent meeting between the two leaders, discussions were held on the government's functioning, the anti-encroachment campaign, the arrest of opposition leaders, and other controversial issues.

Senior Nepali journalist Yug Pathak also believes that questions about Balen Shah's functioning are continuously increasing. He said that the Prime Minister does not regularly respond in Parliament, and dissent within the party is beginning to surface openly. He stated that the public had high expectations from Balen Shah, but in the initial months, those expectations seem to be giving way to questions and concerns.

The leading Nepali language newspaper Kantipur has published statements from six RSP MPs who have publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the functioning of the Balen Shah government.