Outrage in Nepal after Prachanda says Indian businessman helped him to become prime minister

Opposition parties demanded Prachanda’s resignation saying “a prime minister appointed by New Delhi does not have the right to continue in the post”.

• Shubham
• 06 July, 2023

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By: Shubham Ghosh

NEPALI prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda’s remark that an Indian businessman settled in Kathmandu “once made efforts” to make him the premier has caused an outrage in the Himalayan nation with the opposition seeking his resignation.

The 68-year-old leader from the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), who took charge as the prime minister for the third time last December, said Sardar Pritam Singh, a trucking entrepreneur in Nepal, played a key role in enhancing relations between the two South Asian neighbours, PTI reported.

Prachanda’s remarks came on Monday (3) when he was addressing an event to launch a book ‘Roads to the Valley: The Legacy of Sardar Pritam Singh in Nepal’.

There, he said, “He (Singh) had once made efforts to make me the prime minister.”

“He travelled to Delhi several times and held multiple rounds of talks with political leaders in Kathmandu to make me the prime minister,” Prachanda added.

He has served as the prime minister of Nepal between 2008-09 and 2016-17. He went to India in May-June in his first foreign tour after taking over as the premier for the third time last year.

Irked by the remarks, the main opposition party — Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) [CPN-UML] disrupted a meeting in the country’s National Assembly on Wednesday (5) and asked Prachanda to quit. The meeting was postponed till Thursday (6), PTI added.

CPN-UML chairman and former Nepali prime minister KP Oli told the media on Wednesday that they wanted the prime minister to resign and not clarify.

“His remarks have given a blow to national independence, dignity, the Constitution and the parliament itself,” Oli was quoted as saying.

A meeting in the House of Representatives was also postponed till Friday (7), following disruption by opposition parties, including the CPN-UML, Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) over the prime minister’s remarks.

Members of CPN-UML and RPP shouted slogans that “a prime minister appointed by New Delhi does not have the right to continue in the post”.

Prachanda later clarified his remarks about Sardar Pritam Singh saying they were misinterpreted to cause a stir.

(With PTI inputs)