Kathmandu: Nepali Congress General Secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa has urged the government to promptly investigate and take action against Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Ravi Lamichhane, accusing him of involvement in cooperative fraud. Speaking during a special session of the House of Representatives, Thapa called on Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak to investigate the allegations that Lamichhane, who previously served as Home Minister, defrauded cooperatives of crores of rupees.

Thapa presented evidence in parliament, claiming that Lamichhane had received significant sums of money from Pokhara's Suryadarshan Cooperative. He emphasized that regardless of Lamichhane's power or influence, the government must investigate and hold him accountable. Thapa expressed his concern that while in opposition, the government had raised issues such as the Bhutanese refugee case and scandals related to the Giribandhu Tea Estate, but seemed to overlook these matters after coming to power.

The General Secretary stressed the importance of ensuring that not a single rupee is misappropriated from the state treasury. He pointed out that on the 6th of Chaitra 2080, a study conducted by Pokhara Metropolitan Municipality revealed that Lamichhane had collected 10 million rupees under the pretext of the study. Victims had lodged complaints with the police, but the matter was dismissed as a supplementary report when Lamichhane became Home Minister.

Thapa argued that the evidence presented in parliament should be sufficient to warrant an immediate investigation by the Ministry of Home Affairs. He questioned whether the change in government would lead to a change in the handling of such issues and called for a thorough investigation to ensure justice is served.