Senior leader of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Balen Shah, has responded to CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli's call for a public debate among prime ministerial candidates. Oli had posted a status on social media Sunday morning calling for a public debate.
Commenting on the status, Shah stated that he would not participate in the debate. "It is fine that you have accepted yourself as a person who sets the country on fire. After all, you knew where the leaders' houses were located! You yourselves set the fires on the 24th to hide the terrorism of killing children on the 23rd (September 9, 2025)! When will you accept yourself as a terrorist? We can talk about other things after that! Standing on the same stage with the murderer of 76 children and his accomplice would imply that I am also involved in it," he stressed in his response to Oli.
Oli himself had made the call at a time when there were calls for a public debate between prime ministerial candidates. "We are ready for a public debate. All parties, new and old, are now immersed in the election. In this competition between those who set the country on fire and those who build the country, our party, CPN-UML is in the field on the side of building the country. At this time, it has been heard that there is a demand from the public intellectual circle for a transparent debate among the top leaders of the parties," he stated.
Oli also mentioned that the demand for such a public debate might have arisen because a tendency has been observed where real characters are hidden by showing voters promotional materials framed and posted on social media. Oli noted that in this election, parties that have played a historical role in the country, parties opened during the previous election, and some newly opened parties have come forward, even designating their prime ministerial candidates.
"What are the agendas of the parties seeking to lead the country? What work did they do previously in nation-building? What is the roadmap, plan, and blueprint for future work? The demand for a face-to-face debate on such publicly raised questions is extremely positive," Oli added.
