CPN-UML Vice-chairman Bishnu Paudel has demanded a formal written apology from Nepali Congress (NC) over allegations against UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli in the Giri Bandhu Tea Estate land swap scam.
Paudel raised the issue during the meeting of ruling and opposition parties held in Baluwatar Monday to end the House impasse.
He did not utter the term Giri Bandhu Tea Estate but claimed that the main opposition party was making prejudiced, irrelevant and groundless allegations against UML chairman, and warned that UML would resort to political retaliation toward that if NC does not step back.
“The kind of unpolitical and prejudiced allegations that are made targeting Chairman Oli, NC should issue written apology for that. Should apologize publicly,” Paudel stressed. “Our relation with NC will not move forward in the right manner otherwise. NC should understand that UML is not for keeping on listening to such unpolitical and vengeful allegations.”
Addressing a protest program in Kathmandu on Sunday NC General Secretary Bishwa Prakash Sharma alleged that Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane and UML Chairman Oli have allied to save themselves from the cooperatives scam and Giri Bandhu Tea Estate land swap scam respectively. Sharma also claimed that Oli had taken exception to allegations against him during a meeting of ruling and opposition parties at Baluwatar a few days back.
NC has been demanding parliamentary probe committee pointing that Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane has been linked to embezzlement of funds from various cooperatives and the issue about his alleged involvement in cooperative fraud should be addressed.
Leaders of the main opposition party have also been making allegations against Oli in the Giri Bandhu Tea Estate land swap scam.
The Supreme Court (SC) a few months back had overturned the decision of the then Oli government to allow the Jhapa-based Giri Bandhu Tea Estate to swap land exceeding the legal ownership ceiling in any other place within Koshi province.
The court’s constitutional bench led by Bishowambhar Prasad Shrestha had ruled that the April 26, 2021 decision of the Oli Cabinet contravened Section 12 (C) of the Land Act 1964 and was immature.
The land reform policy of the government six decades back had set a ceiling for individual ownership of land and confiscated all the land beyond that limit. It had, however, allowed companies and industries to keep land beyond the limit but required that the land be used only for the stipulated purpose and banned sale of such land.
The Oli government had taken the decision to allow the tea estate to swap its expensive land in Birtamode with land at any other place within Koshi Province, and sell the valuable land in Birtamode or use it for other purposes.
NC leaders have been claiming that Oli and Lamichhane have allied to save themselves in the two scams.
