CPN standing committee member Surendra Pandey has stated that he will not accept responsibility of any ministry apart from the Finance Ministry.
The former finance minister claimed with Setopati on Tuesday that he has received no ministerial offers amidst rumors that he has been offered the Urban Development Ministry.
There are currently vacancies in three ministries with Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli himself overseeing finance and communication ministries while Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Basanta Nembang has also kept the Urban Development Ministry.
"He (Surendra Pandey) had gone to Chitwan for a program a few days back. He got a phone cal from Baluwatar. He had spoken putting his phone on loudspeaker then," a source claimed about the offer of the Urban Development Ministry made by PM's foreign affairs advisor Rajan Bhattarai. "Everyone around the platform of the program directly heard about the offer made to him and his refusal. I had also listened then."
Pandey refuted that and claimed that false rumors about ministerial offers have been spread. "I have said long time ago that I will go for the responsibility of Finance Ministry and not go otherwise. I have not received any such proposal," he claimed. "I will not go to other ministries. I have also not received offers for other ministries."
He has specifically refuted the claims about offers by Bhattarai. "These are mere rumors. We talk different things with leaders at different times. Nothing will remain if we start to make news about what we talk over the phone in which context, and what we discuss when we meet."
Pandey had served as the finance minister for 20 months during the Madhav Kumar Nepal government over a decade ago.
