While addressing a function to launch the book Roads to the Valley: The Legacy of Sardar Pritam Singh in Nepal on Monday, July 3, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal remarked that Sardar Pritam Singh, known as the pioneer trucking entrepreneur in Nepal, has played a unique and historic role in improving ties between Nepal and India.
“He [Singh] had once made efforts to make me the prime minister,” Dahal said. To make me prime minister, he traveled to Delhi numerous times and negotiated with Nepal’s political elite in Kathmandu.
The comments have caused quite a commotion and been roundly criticized.
On Wednesday, members of the National Assembly were disturbed by members of the major opposition party, CPN (UML) [Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist)]. They were calling for the resignation of the prime minister. The new date for the meeting is Thursday, July 6 at 1 p.m.
After the UML, the Rastriya Swatantra Party, and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party disrupted the House of Representatives (HoR) meeting in response to Dahal’s comments, it was postponed till 3 pm on Friday, July 7.
During a meeting of the lower house, UML MP Raghuji Pant declared, “The prime minister should resign on moral [grounds].” No prime minister chosen by Delhi will do.
Both the opposition and the governing parties are unhappy with his remarks. The comments made by the prime minister deserve condemnation. Bishwa Prakash Sharma told reporters following Wednesday’s House meeting, “His remarks are wrong.”