Standing committee member of ruling CPN and former home minister Bhim Rawal has claimed a person staying in Baluwatar has threatened to kill him.
Speaking in a talk show on Sagarmatha Television, he stated that he has been threatened of the fate of late British Princess Diana for opposing the Millennium Challenge Corporation and talking in favor of national interest.
"…While I am talking this, you had touched a bit a while ago. I have been threatened of even my life by a person staying in Baluwatar. A person related with Baluwatar has threatened me that I may also have to lose my life like Lady Diana (sic) did," Rawal has stated in the talk show. "This is unfortunate but the persons saying this should remember that Nepali communist movement and patriotic voices did not disappear when Pushpa Lal (Shrestha) died. Those threatening my life should remember patriotic voices have not vanished when Madan Bhandari was killed in Dasdhunga by staging a drama of vehicle accident."
Setopati repeatedly tried to contact Rawal Sunday night and Monday for elaboration on the threats but he could not be reached.
Setopati found that Press Advisor to the prime minister Surya Thapa had mentioned about Diana in a critical Facebook post that was directed at Rawal.
Thapa had criticized Rawal without taking his name in the Facebook status posted on December 30. The post referred to recent nationalist stance of Rawal and the poem he recited about the current state of nationalism during the recent standing committee meeting.
Thapa had earlier taken exception to Rawal speaking to the media about the standing committee meeting instead of the party spokesperson while Rawal had responded saying that Thapa was just a kid when he was in jail fighting against the Panchayat regime.
Thapa had taken swipe at Rawal for giving aggressive interviews and comments to the media in the Facebook post. "…Your recent interviews, presentation and all the aspects give a feeling that you have been gradually falling in the net of paparazzi like Diana in the past," Thapa's post mentioned.
Rawal may have taken that comparison with Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 while being chased by the paparazzi, as a threat to his life.
Rawal has yet to lodge any police complaint about the alleged threats. "There has been no police complaint from him until now," Spokesperson with the Metropolitan Police Range DSP Hobindra Bogati said.
Thapa, on his part, has called Rawal's allegations frustrations for not being made a minister. "I had mentioned that in the context of him penning the poem. He has apparently said he has received death threats on that issue. Who would give such threats to a person who was home and defense minister in the past, and is currently being escorted by security persons violating procedures?" Thapa told Setopati. "Nobody from Baluwatar has threatened him. Threats should not be issued. He has vented his ire for not getting to become minister."
