Row in Nepal after PM’s remarks on ‘Indian hand’ in his reelection

The leader is set to clarify comments that have caused controversy in Kathmandu

Prime Minister of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal will address the nation’s House of Representatives on Friday in an effort to quell a controversy which erupted over statements he made earlier this week. Dahal, a former Maoist insurgency leader better known by his nom de guerre Prachanda, appeared to suggest that prominent Indian businessman Pritam Singh, who is based in Kathmandu, had lobbied for him in New Delhi.  

The scandal has led to the Nepalese opposition demanding Prachanda’s resignation. A meeting of the ten ruling coalition partners determined on Thursday that the premier could avoid that fate, but stated that he must address lawmakers to clarify his remarks. 

The controversy emerged after Prachanda praised Singh at a ceremony on July 3. The Indian businessman has been settled in Nepal since the late 1950s and runs a flourishing transport business. Prachanda claimed that Singh had “made efforts” via New Delhi to help him be elected as prime minister for the third time last December.  

That was despite Prachanda’s party – the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) – finishing third in the polls behind the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist). The Nepali Congress is part of the ten-member ruling coalition in the Prachanda-led government. 

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The disclosure ignited a major row in Nepal, with the opposition demanding Prachanda’s resignation and stalling the work of both upper and lower houses of parliament.  Members of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), which formed a pre-election alliance with Prachanda’s party, joined other smaller regional outfits to claim that the “PM appointed by New Delhi does not have the right to continue in his post", PTI news agency reported. 

Earlier this week, Prachanda defended his remarks during a function organized by his party’s student wing. “Like in the past, they are trying to put words into my mouth, but that will not work,” Prachanda insisted. However, his defense appeared to be undermined by a torrent of social media posts featuring his remarks about Singh. 

Concerns over alleged interference by New Delhi in Kathmandu’s internal affairs has been a running theme between the two countries, which share open borders.  India’s Ministry of External of Affairs (MEA) has not reacted to the allegations regarding Prachanda, who visited India from May 31 to June 3. The politician was previously criticized by the Nepalese opposition for offering prayers at a Hindu shrine in the city of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh during a recent visit to India. Maoist party cadres were earlier accused of destroying scores of Hindu temples during Nepal’s decade-long People’s War, which ended in 2006.