Lawmakers from opposition parties boycotted Monday’s meeting of the Madhesh Provincial Assembly, accusing the provincial government of bypassing the legislature to push through budget plans.

Despite the boycott, the assembly meeting was given continuity as the government has planned to endorse the budget later in the day.

Saroj Kumar Yadav, parliamentary party leader of the Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal—the main opposition in the assembly—accused Speaker Ram Chandra Mandal of being politically inclined towards the ruling parties. Yadav the Speaker’s resignation.

He said endorsing the budget in the absence of the opposition is undemocratic.

Lawmakers from JSP-N, CPN (Unified Socialist), CPN (Maoist Centre), Nepal Sanghiya Samajbadi Party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Nagarik Unmukti Party boycotted the meeting.

The government is set to get the budget for the upcoming fiscal year endorsed without discussions, after a probe committee formed to investigate alleged irregularities in the budget was dissolved due to disagreements.

According to Unified Socialist Chief Whip Kanish Patel, the government tabled a 461-page fiscal estimate in the assembly, but the government system shows a 755-page document. He claimed the government sneaked in 294 additional pages of budget plans without informing the legislature.

“The committee asked the finance ministry officials to disclose the number and amount of the off-book plans in the government system, but they refused,” said Patel. “From the beginning, the government tried to block the investigation and directed officials accordingly.”

He added that discussions only happened over the official red book, but when opposition lawmakers demanded to scrap the unofficial plans, ruling party members resisted, leading to the committee’s dissolution.

“This is not just a betrayal of lawmakers, but of the public as well,” Patel said.

Rastriya Prajatantra Party lawmaker Kanchan Biccha accused the government of following a “backdoor process”. “From the outset, the government seemed to have ill intent,” she said. “Even when the probe committee was formed, a suspect was included in it. When we demanded fairness, the government showed arrogance.”

The government had formed a six-member probe panel led by Speaker Mandal after repeated obstructions from the opposition. Saturday’s assembly meeting was disrupted shortly after it commenced. Opposition parties objected to the government’s failure to address alleged flaws in the proposed budget and criticised 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 disruption.

In an effort to break the deadlock, an all-party agreement reconstituted the task force, expanding its membership and placing it under the leadership of the Deputy Speaker.

The provincial assembly’s agenda for the day includes Finance Minister Sunil Kumar Yadav tabling the budget bills for discussions, addressing concerns raised during discussions, and putting the bills to a vote.

The provincial budget was initially tabled on June 15, but the Assembly has yet to proceed with deliberations due to repeated disruptions.