Opposition parties raised questions in the House of Representatives, seeking government accountability regarding the self-immolation case of Ganesh Nepali. In the National Assembly, however, there was a direct demand for Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s resignation. 

Chief Whip of the main opposition Congress, Basana Thapa, questioned Prime Minister Balendra Shah. “Has the state apparatus become helpless? Why are you silent? When you were in opposition, you used to raise tough questions about the state’s failures, so why are you now avoiding answering those same questions as the head of government?” Thapa said. “Even when a young man set himself on fire due to state terror, the state remained a mute spectator. While his body was burning, instead of sending an ambulance, the state dragged him away like a criminal using the police.” She accused the Shah-led government of being more focused on gaining ‘likes’ through digital obsession than on upholding humanitarian sensitivity and saving the people. 

Similarly, CPN lawmaker Barsaman Pun asked, “Are the poor, the destitute, and the landless not allowed to live in the federal capital or anywhere in the country? Are they not allowed to earn a living? The government should pay attention to this, and I want an answer.”

Congress MP Khadga Shahi, elected from Mugu, accused the government side of not announcing Ganesh’s death in time, saying he had already died the previous night. “Ganesh had already passed away at night, but the announcement was not made until morning,” he said. “Only after I and Congress Parliamentary Party leader Bhishmaraj Angdembe went to Bir Hospital did we question Health Minister Nisha Mehta and the hospital dean, among others.” He objected to the government holding a press conference claiming treatment was ongoing even after the person had died. 

UML Chief Whip Ain Bahadur Mahara said the government should take full responsibility for the self-immolation. He stated that the state had failed and the government had become cruel toward the people and the poor. UML lawmaker Bhumikha Limbu Subba said, “The government must take responsibility for Ganesh’s self-immolation. This death is not just the death of one person. It is also a serious question about the state’s sensitivity, accountability, and social conscience. I strongly demand an investigation into the incident, punishment for those responsible, and relief for the victim’s family.”

Congress MP Sita (Urmila) Thapaliya said the Prime Minister should be held accountable for the incident. “Prime Minister, under your rule, are the poor not allowed to live? When you were mayor, you seized and destroyed the poor’s bicycles; as Prime Minister, you demolished the homes of the landless, but did not manage their resettlement. Now, you have made it impossible for daily wage earners to survive. Who is this city for?” she said.

In the National Assembly, lawmakers demanded Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s resignation. “A burning man is dragged to the hospital like a criminal. The police run away while the man is burning, and later drag him away like a criminal. The traffic police, municipal police, and the police who dragged him away should be given the harshest punishment, and the Balen government should resign,” said CPN lawmaker Bishnu Bahadur Bishwakarma. 

While opposition parties were raising questions about the Prime Minister and the government over the self-immolation incident, ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party lawmaker Ganesh Karki stated that 18 people commit suicide every day in the country. Lawmaker Ashika Tamang said Nepali self-immolated after suffering mental stress when the metropolitan police wheel-locked his motorcycle. 

Rastriya Swatantra Party lawmaker Prashant Upreti expressed dissatisfaction that the issue of Nepali’s self-immolation was being debated for and against on social media and in parliament. “It is painful to see society so divided; this is a matter of human sensitivity, not something to politicize or take sides on,” he said.

After Rastriya Swatantra Party lawmakers questioned Ganesh’s mental state, Rastriya Prajatantra Party Whip Khusbu Oli objected. She said the government was busy constructing narratives instead of solving the real problem. “Those who do not understand Ganesh Nepali’s life are making a malicious attempt to limit it to mental health. Whenever this government has no answers, it starts creating stories instead of telling the truth. I express my regret over this,” she said.

Responding to the questions raised by opposition lawmakers and providing information about the incident, Home Minister Sudhan Gurung said the government had no role in Ganesh’s self-immolation. “We have three levels of government: federal, provincial, and local. The incident did not occur where the traffic police were involved, nor did the traffic police wheel-lock the vehicle. Is there any video showing the traffic police wheel-locking it? The municipal police did it,” Minister Gurung said. “I want to ask the honorable members of the opposition: who controls the local government now? Is it the Rastriya Swatantra Party? Who controls the provincial government now? Is it the Rastriya Swatantra Party? You have two levels of government.” He said Kathmandu Metropolitan City was responsible for Nepali’s self-immolation case.