Kathmandu, May 15 -- A heated political dispute has erupted in the House of Representatives after Prime Minister Balendra Shah repeatedly skipped parliamentary deliberations on the government's annual policies and programmes, prompting opposition parties and former parliamentary officials to demand that Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal issue a ruling compelling him to attend the House.

The controversy began after Shah authorised Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle to respond to lawmakers during debate on the government's agenda for the upcoming fiscal year. Opposition parties argued that the prime minister himself must be present because the policy document represents the government's central political and administrative agenda for the coming year. ...