Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that he had spoken as the father of his eldest daughter Gyanu and not as the country’s prime minister during a recent book launch event.
Addressing the House of Representatives meeting on Monday, Dahal said that he had become emotional on recalling an incident from 11 years ago and consequently made the remark during a book launch event on July 3.
Dahal said he realized later that he shouldn’t have made the remark.
“I shouldn’t have said that as prime minister. But I didn’t speak as the prime minister that day, I spoke as Gyanu’s father,” he said.
According to Dahal, his eldest daughter Gyanu was in serious condition then and had been taken to Delhi for treatment. She was treated at Sardar Pritam Singh’s home in Delhi on Singh’s request as Dahal's son Prakash and Singh had very close relations.
Dahal said Singh had told him then that he should be Nepal’s prime minister, adding that he had said it only in good faith. He added that he had not said anything apart from recollecting that incident during the book launch.
During a book launch event in Kathmandu last Monday, Dahal had said that Sardar Pritam Singh had repeatedly visited Delhi to make him prime minister.
The main opposition CPN-UML had then obstructed Parliament proceedings demanding Dahal's resignation over his controversial remark. Rastriya Swatantra Party and Rastriya Prajatantra Party had also joined in the protest.
The House meeting finally resumed on Monday afternoon after the top leaders of the three major parties -- PM and CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Dahal, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli -- agreed to end the obstruction and allow Dahal to clarify the matter in Parliament.
