Nepal, May 17 -- In Nepal's parliamentary history, no sitting prime minister has publicly walked out while the President addressed the joint session of Parliament to present the government's Policies and Programmes. That is precisely why the recent incident has drawn intense public attention, constitutional debate and, naturally, a fair share of political memes.

To be fair, parliamentary walkouts are not new in democracies around the world. In the United States, lawmakers have boycotted or walked out during presidential addresses. In the United Kingdom, Members of Parliament have staged symbolic protests during speeches by prime ministers or even the Crown. In India, opposition walkouts during presidential addresses have become almost a ...