KATHMANDU, April 24: The federal Parliament session, which was summoned and suspended within 24 hours, has triggered widespread political debate and criticism, with opposition leaders and legal experts questioning the government’s intent and transparency.
On the government’s recommendation, President Ram Chandra Paudel had summoned a joint session of both Houses of the federal Parliament for April 30 at 2 PM. However, the session was suspended by Thursday evening. The President’s Office issued a brief statement citing “special reasons” for the decision, without further elaboration.
The government has not publicly clarified the rationale behind either the summoning or the suspension of the session, both of which were based on Cabinet decisions reportedly taken on Tuesday.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the session was suspended due to incomplete preparations for the budget session. Officials said the decision was taken on the government’s recommendation.
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Following a Cabinet meeting held on Thursday afternoon, government spokesperson and Education Minister Sasmit Pokharel announced several decisions of the government but did not mention the suspension of the parliamentary session.
The abrupt summoning and suspension has drawn strong reactions from political parties, who have described the move as unprecedented in Nepal’s parliamentary history. Opposition leaders have questioned the lack of transparency in the decision-making process.
Parliamentary Secretariat officials acknowledged some coordination gaps in scheduling the session but maintained that such issues alone do not justify suspension.
The previous parliamentary session concluded on April 2, with the new session scheduled after a 20-day gap. The unexpected reversal has raised questions over executive–legislative coordination and the government’s procedural decision-making.
Some political actors have speculated that the suspension may be linked to a planned squatters’ eviction drive scheduled over the weekend, while others suspect it could be related to preparations for issuing an ordinance.
The move has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties. Nepali Congress lawmaker Arjun Narsingh K.C. said the decision reflects poorly on the government’s intent and undermines parliamentary norms.
CPN-UML Secretary Mahesh Basnet described the move as “childish,” accusing the government of attempting to evade parliamentary scrutiny over recent controversial decisions.
Leaders of the Nepali Communist Party (NCP) also alleged that the government had undermined the sovereignty of Parliament, calling the decision “irresponsible” and “constitutionally questionable.”
Constitutional and parliamentary experts have also expressed concern over the lack of precedent and transparency, noting that it is highly unusual for a parliamentary session to be summoned and then suspended within such a short span of time.
