Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli has claimed with Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba that he is not allowing agents to hover anywhere near the government.
Deuba met Oli at the Singha Durbar Thursday and handed over a 15-point letter to draw the PM's attention to the worsening pandemic and corruption in procurement of vaccines and medical supplies. "We repeatedly raised the issue of irregularities in vaccine procurement. But he (Oli) said that was not correct," said NC General Secretary Purna Bahadur Khadka who accompanied Deuba along with Deputy General Secretary Prakash Sharan Mahat, leader Ram Sharan Mahat and others to hand over the letter to PM Oli.
PM Oli conceded that there are such agents but repeated his clichéd claim that he does not indulge in corruption himself and does not allow even others to do so, and claimed that he does not allow such agents to come even near, according to Prakash Sharan Mahat.
Deuba also complained about ineffectiveness of the COVID-19 Crisis Management Center (CCMC) led by Deputy PM Ishwar Pokharel pointing that it lacks transparency and its leadership is incompetent.
The 15-point letter demands that the government should immediately bring vaccines and inoculate all the citizens to keep them safe as the pandemic rages across the country. It also calls for investigation of irregularities in procurement of vaccines and other supplies, and drawn the government's attention to scarcity of oxygen in hospitals.
The main opposition party has also demanded mandatory PCR tests at the border points and relief package for low-income households.
Deuba interacted with NC leaders and cadres from all seven provinces for two days before meeting PM Oli to take stock about the local problems. The 15-point letter incorporated the problems pointed by those leaders.
Deputy PM Pokharel, Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel, Health Minister Hridayesh Tripathi and deputy parliamentary party leader of ruling CPN-UML Subash Chandra Nembang were also with PM Oli when the NC leaders reached the PM's Office to hand over the letter.
