Kathmandu, Nepal – Nepal’s Prime Minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, has found himself at the center of a political storm after making a surprising statement that an Indian businessman, settled in Nepal, had once made efforts to see him become the country’s prime minister. Prachanda’s remarks, made during a book launch event titled “Roads to the Valley: The Legacy of Sardar Pritam Singh in Nepal,” have generated significant controversy and triggered a strong demand for his resignation from the opposition.
During the event on Monday, Prachanda acknowledged the role played by Sardar Pritam Singh, a trailblazing trucking entrepreneur in Nepal, in fostering stronger Nepal-India relations. The prime minister revealed, “He (Singh) had once made efforts to make me the prime minister,” reported by the Hindustan Times. Prachanda further elaborated that Singh had traveled to Delhi multiple times and engaged in numerous discussions with political leaders in Kathmandu with the aim of facilitating Prachanda’s ascension to the prime ministerial position.
The prime minister’s statements about Singh’s involvement in Nepal’s political landscape and his contribution to bilateral relations have caused an uproar and attracted criticism from various quarters. The Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML), the main opposition party, disrupted the National Assembly meeting on Wednesday, demanding Prachanda’s immediate resignation. As a result, the meeting was postponed until 1 pm on Thursday.
Chairman of the CPN-UML, KP Sharma Oli, expressed their firm stance on the matter, stating, “We want the resignation of the prime minister, not a mere clarification.” Former Prime Minister Oli asserted that Prachanda’s remarks had dealt a blow to the nation’s independence, dignity, constitution, and the parliament itself.
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Similarly, the House of Representatives meeting was also postponed until 3 pm on Friday due to disruptions caused by opposition parties, including the CPN-UML, the Rashtriya Swatantra Party, and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), in response to Prachanda’s statements.
During the lower house session, UML lawmaker Raghuji Pant demanded the prime minister’s resignation on moral grounds, emphasizing that Nepal did not need a leader appointed by Delhi. While the opposition parties expressed their dissatisfaction, even members of the ruling parties voiced their concerns about Prachanda’s remarks. Bishwa Prakash Sharma, in particular, stated that the prime minister’s comments were worthy of criticism and deemed them incorrect.
Prachanda’s controversial remarks have once again highlighted the tendency of Nepal’s top leaders to make imprudent statements on sensitive geopolitical issues, bilateral relations, and other national matters.
Meanwhile, in an attempt to clarify his controversial remarks, Prime Minister Prachanda stated that they had been misinterpreted and blown out of proportion to create controversy. He asserted that his statements regarding Sardar Pritam Singh were directly quoted from the book ‘Roads to the Valley’ by Kirandeep Sandhu, which was being launched at the event. Prachanda emphasized that his intention was to highlight Singh’s involvement in politics, lobbying with parties in both Delhi and Nepal, rather than insinuate India’s intervention in Nepal’s internal affairs.
Commenting on the situation, Ganesh Shah, CPN-Maoist Centre secretary, acknowledged that while the prime minister may not have intended to indicate India’s interference in Nepal’s internal politics, he should have exercised caution and used diplomatic language when discussing such a sensitive issue. Shah also expressed disappointment that the prime minister’s remarks had disrupted valuable parliamentary time that could have been utilized for meaningful discussions on important national matters.
The controversy surrounding Prachanda’s statements has once again thrust Nepal’s political landscape into turmoil. As calls for the prime minister’s resignation grow louder, the nation awaits further developments in this unfolding saga. The incident serves as a reminder of the need for political leaders to exercise prudence and sensitivity when addressing sensitive issues that have the potential to impact bilateral relations and national sovereignty.
