The Madhesh Provincial Assembly has failed to function for the sixth consecutive day as a dispute over the annual budget continues to paralyse proceedings.

The impasse has now led to the formation of a new 14-member task force under the leadership of Deputy Speaker Babita Raut Ishar, following the resignation of Speaker Ramchandra Mandal from the coordinator role.

Saturday’s assembly meeting was disrupted shortly after it commenced, with opposition parties objecting to the government’s failure to address alleged flaws in the proposed budget and criticising the earlier formation of a task force led by the Speaker that included Physical Infrastructure Minister Saroj Kumar Yadav.

The inclusion of Minister Yadav, a member of the ruling coalition, drew fierce criticism from six opposition parties, who accused the government of attempting to investigate itself and vowed to continue obstructing the assembly until his name was withdrawn.

Acknowledging the controversy, Speaker Mandal described the minister's inclusion as a departure from parliamentary norms and tendered his resignation as task force coordinator. In his address, he also questioned the legitimacy of forming a panel that places the government in a minority position.

As tensions escalated, opposition lawmakers surrounded the rostrum in protest when the Speaker attempted to allocate time for Finance Minister Sunil Kumar Yadav to respond without allowing prior discussion on revenue and expenditure. The meeting was adjourned within ten minutes amid rising disruption.

In an effort to break the deadlock, an all-party agreement led to the reconstitution of the task force, expanding its membership and placing it under the leadership of the Deputy Speaker. According to Kanish Patel, chief whip of the CPN (Unified Socialist), the new task force includes seven members from the opposition and six from the ruling alliance. The assembly will resume discussion on the budget only after the committee submits its report.

The newly formed task force includes Mohd. Sameer, Sharda Devi Thapa, Chandan Kumar Singh, Shambhu Kumar Sah, Jangilal Raya, Nagendra Sah, Ramita Pradhan, Ram Ashish Yadav, Kanish Patel, Jawahar Lal Kushwaha, Bimala Ansari Tarannum, Kanchan Biccha, and Urmila Devi Singh.

The provincial budget was originally tabled on June 15, but the Assembly has yet to move forward with deliberations due to repeated disruptions. The next sitting is scheduled for Monday.