Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Thursday expressed his deep frustration over the low attendance of lawmakers and senior party leaders during his question and answer session in the House of Representatives.

While low attendance in the House is not uncommon, as per the tradition, almost all lawmakers and senior leaders, except those with urgent commitments, are present when the prime minister speaks in the House or organises a question-answer session on contemporary issues.

“The absence does not undermine the post of prime minister, it undermines the lawmakers themselves,” said Prime Minister Dahal, who was visibly distressed.

Among those notably absent were top leaders including Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, CPN-UML Chairman KP Oli and CPN (Unified Socialist) chief Madhav Nepal, as well as several Cabinet ministers and dozens of lawmakers from ruling and opposition benches. Out of 22, only eight ministers were present.

A Nepali Congress leader said that Congress President Deuba was briefly present in the House, but had to leave due to health issues. But other senior Congress leaders and office bearers were notably absent. Similarly, CPN-UML chair Oli visited Parliament but did not enter the House. He left Parliament premises before the prime minister started speaking. Oli attended another function in the Capital.

Several Cabinet ministers including two deputy prime ministers Raghubir Mahaseth and Narayan Kaji Shrestha were also absent when Dahal was responding to lawmakers’ queries.

“There has been a tradition in Parliament that leaders of both opposition and ruling parties should be present when the prime minister speaks. The absence does not undermine the prime minister but rather the parliamentarians themselves. Except in emergencies, leaders of ruling and opposition parties, ministers and lawmakers traditionally attend the meeting where the prime minister speaks. But this tradition is being watered down, day by day. This definitely does not undermine the prime minister’s position,” said Dahal.

The visibly upset prime minister said before concluding his statement by warning that “if such a trend continues, it is a gross insult to all of us.”

Before making this statement, the prime minister answered questions from eleven lawmakers on various issues. He also discussed his recent visit to India and President Ramchandra Paudel’s visits to Switzerland and Germany.

Prime Minister Dahal, earlier this month, attended the swearing-in ceremony of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. He also held talks with Indian President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Modi, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, among other top officials.

During his meetings with Modi and Jaishanker, Dahal said, issues related to strengthening bilateral ties, activating bilateral mechanisms between Nepal and India, and increasing Indian investment in Nepal, among others, were discussed.

While speaking in the House, the prime minister expressed his dissatisfaction with budgetary allocations stating the ministers did not follow his directives.

“Ministers should take the prime minister’s directive seriously while selecting projects and programmes,” said Dahal. “Despite my directives, small and micro projects are still being included in the budget. You will be ministers and prime ministers tomorrow, so we need to correct these practices.”

“Despite tall promises, this fiscal year’s budget has several small and micro level projects below Rs30 million. The government had earlier promised to entrust projects and programmes under Rs30 million to provincial governments. I am not fully satisfied with the budget and its provisions.”

While responding to lawmakers’ queries, the prime minister said that those responsible for the Tikapur massacre would be punished. As many as eight people, including a toddler and seven policemen, were killed by protesters on August 24, 2015 in the run up to the promulgation of the constitution. Dahal also assured that the government is committed to ensuring the identity and social and economic empowerment of the Tharus and other socially and economically marginalised communities.

The prime minister also informed Parliament that Nepal and India are seriously considering two dedicated religious corridors—the Ramayana and Buddha circuits—to promote religious tourism.

“We have ensured the budget for developing Ramayana, Shiva, Buddha, and Kirat circuits,” said the prime minister. “Fifteen different religious sites between Nepal and India will be connected under the Ramayana and Buddha circuits.”

Nepal and India have already reached agreements and understandings on developing these circuits.

Similarly, the prime minister stated that the government is committed to making ambassadorial appointments more orderly, dignified, transparent, and performance-based. He also defended the government’s recent decision to recall Nepal’s ambassadors from several countries, stating that the decision was in line with the constitution.

The recent decision to recall envoys from 11 nations created quite an uproar in various quarters.

“The government is committed to using diplomatic missions and envoys in the best interest of the nation,” he said. “As per the Ambassador Appointment Directive, 2015, the envoys can be recalled before completing their terms, if necessary.”

“Typically, only those appointed under political quota are recalled immediately after a change in coalition,” the prime minister said. “But this time, the envoys remained in their posts for more than three months after a change in the ruling coalition.”

Dahal said this was proof of how the government was serious about the issue.

Government picks some ambassadors under political quota based on recommendations from coalition partners while it selects some career diplomats from within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Talking about his recent India visit, Prime Minister Dahal also said that there were discussions on effective implementation of the agreements reached between the two South Asian neighbours.

According to Dahal, among the issues discussed during a meeting with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, were strengthening Nepal-India relations, implementation of past agreements, and bilateral discussions—including border disputes.

“There were serious discussions on the implementation of the Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project, Arun Hydropower Project and cooperation in the agricultural sector,” Dahal said.

Likewise, the prime minister stated that the government has initiated the formation of a high-level committee to address the challenges being faced by cooperatives.

After the committee’s input and suggestions, crisis-ridden cooperatives will be identified and action initiated to return deposits and manage their assets.

Dahal said that more than Rs772.44 million has already been refunded to the victims of cooperatives.

Addressing the meeting, Dahal stated that 59,587 individuals, affected by cooperatives, had filed complaints alleging embezzlement of deposits totalling Rs36.28 billion. Of this, the government has so far paid back Rs 772.44 million.

The prime minister added that the government had declared 20 different cooperatives as ‘crisis-ridden’ and that the process of refunding affected depositors was being facilitated through the Crisis-ridden Cooperative Management Committee.

Dahal also mentioned that efforts are underway for a separate legal procedure to establish an independent regulatory body to protect cooperative savings.

“The government is aware of the problems faced by cooperatives and is serious about addressing them. Various efforts have been made to implement the suggestions of the high-level task force and agreements reached with the cooperative victims under the coordination of the National Planning Commission last year,” he said.

Prime Minister Dahal said that a committee had also been formed at the provincial and local levels to solve the problems of those affected by cooperatives.

A law to establish an authority to regulate and supervise large-scale cooperatives is also being drafted, Dahal said.

“Not all cooperatives are in trouble. Many have helped lift people’s livelihoods while operating based on established international practices and as per the law,” Dahal said.

He added that despite the significant increase in the number of cooperatives, there were plenty of shortcomings in their qualitative improvement.