Nepal PM lands in trouble over his comments on India; opposition demands resignation

Kathmandu, 06th July 2023: Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda’s surprising remarks that an Indian businessman residing here “once made efforts” to make him prime minister sparked outrage in the Himalayan nation, with the opposition calling for his resignation.

Prachanda made these remarks while speaking at a book launch event for ‘Roads to the Valley: The Legacy of Sardar Pritam Singh in Nepal,’ and stated that Sardar Pritam Singh, a pioneer trucking entrepreneur in Nepal, played a unique and historic role in developing Nepal-India relations.

The words sparked outrage and drew criticism from a variety of sources.

The largest opposition party, the Communist Party of Nepal-(Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML), disrupted the National Assembly sitting on Wednesday, demanding the prime minister’s resignation. The meeting has been rescheduled for 1 p.m. on Thursday.

KP Sharma Oli, Chairman of the CPN-UML, told reporters on Wednesday that they want the Prime Minister to resign, not a clarification. Former Prime Minister Oli demanded the Prime Minister’s resignation, saying that “his remarks have dealt a blow to national independence, dignity, the Constitution, and the parliament itself.”

Similarly, the House of Representatives meeting has been rescheduled for 3 p.m. Friday following a disturbance caused by opposition parties — the UML, the Rashtriya Swatantra Party, and the Rashtriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) — in response to Prachanda’s remarks.

Members of the main opposition Communist CPN-UML and RPP also chanted, “A Prime Minister appointed by New Delhi has no right to continue in office.”