Maoist Leader Mahara Heads to Dang Amidst Mounting Criticism

Absence from Maoist Meeting Sparks Speculation

Hamrakura
Published 2023 Aug 14 Monday

Kathmandu: After the criticism of Vice President Krishna Bahadur Mahara started in the official meeting of the Maoist Center, he reached Dang via Lamhi on Sunday afternoon. He was criticized in a meeting of Maoist officials when news started that he was connected with gold smugglers due to his regular contact with Chinese citizen Daojin Wang.

Not only that, he reached Dang at a time when Maoist activists were also pressing hard to take action against him. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda has said that whoever is involved in the gold case should be ready to go to jail after Mahara was linked to the gold scandal in electronic cigarettes (Vape) through Dawajin Wang.

According to the source, Prachanda said this in the official meeting held in Baluwatar after Mahara's name came up in the case of bringing nine kilos of gold to Nepal through VEP.

After this statement of Prachanda, he said that he will go to give a statement before the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police. "Please tell me that I am going to give a statement to the CIB," he said, leaving the news through the Maoist secretary Barshman Pun.

Sources said that after the matter of going to jail was raised in the officers' meeting, Mahara told Home Minister Narayankaji Shrestha and Pun that he was going to give a statement to the CIB and reached Dang via Lumbini.

After the issue of Mahara was raised in the meeting of Maoist ministers and officials held at the Prime Minister's residence Baluwatar on Sunday afternoon, Home Minister Shrestha said that Mahara is ready to go to the CIB and give a statement if necessary.

"Mahara did not participate in the meeting, he is outside Kathmandu," said an official.

In the meeting, Prime Minister Prachanda said that the government is committed to investigating organized crime including gold smuggling and said that they themselves should clarify about the involvement of Maoist leaders.

The source said, quoting Prime Minister Prachanda's statement, "Any leader of our party whose name has been linked, should clarify his involvement, otherwise be ready to go to jail."

Maoist Chairman Prachanda, who is also the Prime Minister, had instructed the Home Minister to proceed with the investigation in front of other leaders, saying that the names of party leaders were linked in the recent case.

Even if Shrestha had friends, he said that it was difficult to work in such a situation and if the security agencies wanted to work, they would help their friends.

Prachanda said that the government and the alliance were in a state of collapse because of their own leaders, and said that there was a possibility that the Nepali Congress, the largest power partner party, would not leave the government.

"Congress has also participated in the government, please take care, no one has taken care of who is involved when the file of corruption is opened, you should pay attention to who should be caught by the government documents", a Maoist official said, quoting Prachanda's words.

Congress has not only expressed its disagreement with Prachanda on the issue of arresting only its own MPs, Maoist Chairman Prachanda held a functionary meeting on Sunday after the Congress MPs had warned that they would violate the whip if the government ever had to take a vote of confidence.

Congress MP Dr. After the arrest of Sunil Sharma, Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba had indicated that there would be problems in the alliance after meeting the Prime Minister.

Not only that, after the district court did not give an order to keep Sharma in custody, the suspicion that there is revenge against him has become stronger.

MP Sharma demanded that the agencies under the Ministry of Home Affairs remain silent and that the ministers leading these two agencies should resign and cooperate in the investigation after the gold went out of the Customs Department under the Ministry of Finance and was seized by the Revenue Investigation Department.

A few days after that, he was arrested after making a complaint against him regarding the fake educational certificate. But the government has been shocked after the court ordered that the other doctors who were arrested with him should be detained and he should be kept out of jail for investigation.

Soon after that, Home Minister Shrestha met Congress President Deuba. Sources also said that Shrestha returned to that meeting to transfer two high-ranking police officers.



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