CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has challenged the government to investigate him in the fake Bhutanese refugees scam.
CPN-UML leader Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and Nepali Congress (NC) leader Bal Krishna Khand have already been arrested in the scam that was initiated when Oli was prime minister (PM). Speaking in the House on Sunday to comment on the government’s policies and programs, Oli has challenged the government to investigate even him.
“I want to challenge—I became home minister, foreign minister and prime minister repeatedly. Let there be investigation. We are always against corruption,” Oli has said.
He has warned the government to not try to implicate innocent persons and spare the guilty ones pointing that the scam can never be covered up. He has claimed that money has been collected from 975 persons and the issue would again come to the fore if the government tries to cover up.
He has also lashed out at those who suspected that the top leaders of the big three parties—Oli, CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba—repeatedly met to cover the scam up. “We have to conduct House meeting. How to run the House when the country is in such a state? How to take the path of consensus? Should the leaders not hold discussion on these issues? Don’t they discuss formulation of laws and their amendment?” he has asked. “Let’s assume that the other two leaders are squeaky clean. Did I go there to beg them to save my leaders?”
He has also slammed the Dahal government for not investigating the cases of land grab including that in Baluwatar, Omni procurement scam, Maoist cantonment scam and other controversial and disputed issues, and asked who has stopped investigation on those issues.
He has accused the Dahal government of apathy toward implementation of federalism claiming that the government has failed to continue the initiatives he took toward implementing federalism. “It apparently has mentioned achieving success in implementation of federalism. Does it become successful without consulting anyone? There was no meeting of National Coordination Council, the spirit of federalism has not been embraced. It is time to prepare the budget. But there has been no consultation with the provincial and the local governments. I had coordinated by increasing the scope but that could not happen now.”
He has also criticized the current coalition for not convening meeting of the Constitutional Council for 23 months and not moving the impeachment process against the then chief justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana forward after registering the impeachment motion.
He has claimed that the policies and programs brought by the government does not have objectives or destinations and added that such policies and programs cannot lead the country toward stability and progression.
He has pointed that financial indicators show that the country is moving toward serious economic problems and accused the government of trying to give a message that everything is hunky dory.
