The first meeting of the new House of Representatives, formed after the elections held on the basis of the Gen-G rebellion, was held on Thursday. The parliament session began exactly a week after the newly elected members of the House of Representatives were sworn in. 

This time, not only is the balance of political power in the parliament new, most of the lawmakers are new. There is a majority of lawmakers under the age of 45. This time, the representation of women has increased to 35 percent compared to the previous two Houses of Representatives. 

With many top leaders of the Congress and UML defeated, NCP Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has become like a 'guardian' of the old parties in Parliament. The Parliament Secretariat had issued the agenda on Wednesday itself for the first meeting of the new parliament to begin at exactly 2 pm on Thursday. The lawmakers entered the meeting room on time, but Prime Minister Balendra Shah entered the meeting room only at 2:16 pm, 20 minutes late. Then the meeting began. 

Labor Culture Party Chairman Hark Sampang drew attention to the issue of the late start of the meeting in the House. He reminded that Parliament is not only a place to deliver speeches but also a place to demonstrate discipline and responsibility. ‘We have come to build the country. First of all, we must change ourselves. There was a delay of 12 minutes and 46 seconds in the oath-taking (12 Chaitra). Today, there is a delay of 16 minutes and 55 seconds in the first meeting,’ he said from the podium, ‘Let this House understand the importance of every minute, let the government understand it, and let us all understand it.’ 

With many top leaders of the Congress and UML being defeated, NCP Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has emerged as the ‘guardian’ of the old parties in Parliament. He is the only former Prime Minister present in the House of Representatives. UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli, who has been Prime Minister several times since the promulgation of the new constitution, was defeated in Jhapa-5 by a large margin. Another former Prime Minister and former Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba did not get a ticket in the election. Another former Prime Minister who participated in the election, Madhav Kumar Nepal of the NCP, was also defeated. 

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) which was the fourth party with 21 seats in the previous parliament has become the largest party in the parliament this time with the presence of Balendra Shah by winning 182 seats. The Congress, which was the first party in the then House of Representatives, has shrunk to 38 seats and the UML, which was the second party, has shrunk to 25 seats. The NCP has 17 MPs and the RPP has 5 MPs. The Labor Culture Party, which has emerged this time, has 7 MPs. 

The President of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Ravi Lamichhane, resolved to change not only the beauty of the parliament with a new generation and face, but also the old working style. ‘We want to work by counting seconds, not by counting days. Now work will speak. We have started speaking through work. You are seeing the speed of the government,’ he said in the parliament meeting, ‘The entire country, including the employees, has no choice but to keep pace with this speed. We have come prepared to take ownership of not only our promises but also the election manifestos of legitimate opposition parties.' He said that the Prime Minister will present the government's priorities, plans and development through actions by speaking if necessary and by not speaking if necessary. 

Bhishma Raj Angdembe, MP from the main opposition Nepali Congress, spoke. The Congress is yet to elect the leader of the parliamentary party. Angdembe said in the meeting that even though the party became the second party in the elections, the principles and ideas it carries have become stronger and more successful. Lamichhane also expressed his commitment not to let the opposition's voice be weakened, stating that the ruling party and the opposition are not only competitors in the parliament but also complement each other. 'If the voice of the opposition is weakened and ignored, democracy will be weakened. We have seen this recently. This parliament will be a place of debate, not revenge,' he said, 'There is no injustice based on faith. The microphone line of an MP will not be cut to silence the voice of the opposition.' 

RSP President Lamichhane also urged all those who received political appointments from the previous government to pave the way. ‘This government is also a child of the Gen-G rebellion. I would like to appeal to those who were appointed yesterday under the cover of the constitution and law on the recommendation of leaders and parties to voluntarily resign and help in following the law,’ he said. ‘The government wants to implement a fair and competitive appointment process based on new policies, laws, standards and norms.’

Lamichhane said that he was morally responsible for the questions he had raised earlier. ‘Now we have to prove that we are not only good at asking questions, but also at answering them,’ he said. ‘Not only showing the problem, but also finding solutions. Please monitor the opposition party 24 hours a day. You have a long experience in governance. Please expose the mistakes. If we go astray, please correct us.’

Lamichhane promised to fulfill the responsibility of the mandate expressed in the election. ‘There is both hope and anger of the people in this mandate. I know that the votes we got are not only for support, but also for change. The mandate given to us by the people is not to run Singha Durbar, but to change Singha Durbar,' he said.

On the first day of the meeting, UML hinted at obstructing the parliament, saying that the government had arrested its chairman Oli in a political vendetta. UML MPs stood in protest before senior member Arjun Narsingh KC, who is in the role of Speaker, was able to read the letter from the President's Office regarding the convening of the parliament meeting and the formation of the government. After he refused to sit down even after repeated requests, KC gave time to MP Guru Baral to speak. The meeting moved forward after he expressed his views demanding the release of former Prime Minister Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak.

The statement of UML parliamentary party leader Ram Bahadur Thapa also indicated that the politics of no-confidence has started from the parliament. Speaking in parliament, Thapa seriously accused 'visible and invisible forces' of playing a role in the election victory of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). ‘Who played a decisive role in this magical victory, numerous facts make it clear,’ he said, ‘The invisible forces TOB, AI, algorithms, Goebbels, who established the heroes of nationalism, democracy, republic, federalism, peace and prosperity as villains and murderers. They made the villains who burned the country and erased their national identity into great heroes.’

When Thapa made the statement that ‘armed TOBs appeared in a sinister way on 23 and 24 Bhadra’, Home Minister Sudhan Gurung made an angry gesture with his hand. A controversy has started within the UML regarding Thapa’s statement in parliament. UML Vice-President Bishnu Prasad Poudel responded that the views expressed by Thapa are against the established policies and beliefs of the party. ‘I expect a serious discussion and a proper decision to be made in this regard at the meeting of the UML Central Secretariat to be held tomorrow (Friday),’ he said. 

Bhishmaraj Angdembe, MP from the main opposition Congress, spoke. The Congress is yet to elect the leader of its parliamentary party. Angdembe said in the meeting that despite becoming the second party in the elections, the principles and ideas carried by the party have become stronger and more successful. 

‘The Congress has a view of innovation over continuity. Therefore, in every period, the Congress has led every change. The Congress itself brought the legitimate issues raised by others to a conclusion,’ he said, ‘The Congress is committed to bringing the issues raised by the Gen-G rebellion to a conclusion. As a responsible opposition party, the Congress is committed to supporting this change, helping and warning.’ 

In the first meeting, Dahal, the parliamentary party leader and party coordinator on behalf of the NCP, did not speak, and leader Barshaman Pun was put forward. Pun made it clear that no compromise can be made on the issues of democracy, republic and inclusiveness in the name of constitutional amendment. The Congress, which was started under the leadership of BP Koirala, has undergone a transformation in line with the changing times and society, through the special general convention of Subarna Shumsher, Ganeshman Singh, Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, Girija Prasad Koirala, Sushil Koirala and Sher Bahadur Deuba, and has been transformed by making Gagan Thapa the president. Angdembe said that the government repression of 23 Bhadra and the demolition of 24 Bhadra should be investigated and action taken equally. ‘Why did the Parliament building turn into ashes? Why did Singha Durbar burn? Why were so many physical structures demolished? It is necessary to examine the incidents of both 23 and 24 one by one,’ he said, ‘Some people see the incident of 23 and not see the 24th, some people see the destruction of 24 and not see the repression of 23? This trend is completely wrong.’ 

In the first meeting, Dahal, the parliamentary party leader and party coordinator of the NCP, did not speak, and leader Barshaman Pun was put forward. Pun made it clear that no compromise can be made on the issues of democracy, republic and inclusiveness in the name of constitutional amendment. He urged the RSP leaders to move forward with the lessons of 2064 and 2074. ‘In 2064, the then Maoists had received almost the same public opinion. In 2074 too, when we unified the party, it was almost two-thirds. We did not know how to utilize it, we could not. Let us learn from our shortcomings and take the country and the party forward,’ he said.

Shram Sanskriti Party Chairman Sampang has demanded that the government cancel the MCC agreement made with the US. He urged the government to move forward by balancing geopolitical balance. ‘The government should focus on independence, geopolitical balance and non-aligned foreign policy, and the MCC, a trade agreement launched with military strategy, should be scrapped,’ he said. 

RPP parliamentary party leader Gyan Bahadur Shahi warned the government to be responsible to the people, follow the rule of law, and not be arrogant about the majority. ‘Majority is temporary. It is just a few days of warmth, not a permanent truth. But unfortunately that (KP Sharma Oli-led) government did not listen to the people’s voice, as a result, not only the government fell, but the country itself was engulfed in the flames of unrest. Physical structures burned in broad daylight. Singha Durbar and the Parliament building were caught in the grip of fire. And, we are forced to operate by considering a meeting room as the Parliament building,’ he said, ‘This current government should beware.’

When Mahavir Pun, the only independent MP in the parliament, stated that he would remain impartial above the parties and the opposition, the RPP MPs applauded and expressed their support. When he surprisingly told the MPs that he had come as an MP, the MPs burst into laughter. ‘I am different. The way I speak is different. The way I work is different. I don’t get along with everyone. It’s surprising how someone who shouldn’t have come to this place ended up here,’ he said. He mentioned his experiences and reasons from his return from studying in the US to the Gen-G movement and becoming a minister. 

While managing the seats of the ruling and opposition parties in the parliament, NCP Chairman Dahal and UML Parliamentary Party leader Ram Bahadur Thapa were placed together in the opposition row. During the nearly two-hour parliament session, they did not even speak. They had once fought together in the armed conflict and walked together after the peace process, but have been in separate rows since 2077.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) MP Ashish Gajurel had cycled to the Parliament building from Lokanthali. He said that he would cycle to the Parliament with a message to organize public transport and make the roads safer for cyclists.