CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli has attacked the Pushpa Kamal Dahal over gold smuggling.
Holding a press conference on Sunday Oli has claimed that repeated smuggling of gold in such a large quantity from the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) with such tight security measures is not possible without political and administrative connivance and patronage.
He has also slammed the government for not taking action despite the investigation report submitted by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police after investigating smuggling of gold disguised as e-cigarettes concluding that Maoist Vice-chairman Krishna Bahadur Mahara and his son Rahul Mahara had contacted smugglers.
He has demanded resignation of both Prime Minister (PM) Dahal and Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha over gold smuggling and reiterated the party's demand for a high-level committee to investigate that.
He has also claimed that UML is not to blame for continuous House obstruction (demanding high-level committee to investigate gold smuggling) and argued that it was the result of trying to silence the voice of opposition.
He has also reiterated that Nepali Congress (NC) lawmaker Sunil Sharma was arrested by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police for demanding high-level committee to investigate gold smuggling.
Sharma had demanded, during a recent HoR meeting, resignation of Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha and Finance Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat for investigation of the recent gold smuggling case. Oli has alleged that Sharma was arrested in the old case of forging his academic certificate due to his vocal criticism of the government over gold smuggling.
Oli has claimed that his government concluded the case of smuggling of 33 kilograms of gold adding that he stopped gold smuggling that continued before he became PM.
Oli government had formed a probe committee on April 3, 2018 under the then Joint Secretary at the Home Ministry Ishwor Raj Paudel to investigate smuggling of 33 kilograms of gold and murder of mule Sanam Shakya. The committee submitted its report, that demanded investigation on businessman Deepak Malhotra, to the then PM Oli but the Oli government did not make the report public and neither his government nor the subsequent governments implemented the committee's recommendations.
Oli has also objected to reports about UML leaders including Bishnu Paudel meeting former president Bidya Devi Bhandari to make her the next UML chair and has called it an attempt at manufacturing problems inside the main opposition party.
Acknowledging that Bhandari was UML leader before becoming president and continues to remain a well-wisher of the party he has pointed that not just Paudel but even he has been in regular contact with her.
