Minister of Federal Affairs and General Administration Raj Kumar Gupta, who was implicated in an audio recording related to a bribery deal, has resigned from his post.
Minister Gupta has said that he submitted his resignation to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Tuesday.
"Everyone knows that my name has been continuously linked to a bribery deal in the public discourse for the past few days. Sometimes, even poison that hasn't been consumed can affect you, and I have become a victim of that now. To assist in investigating the allegations and bringing out the truth, I have resigned from the position of Minister of General Administration to the prime minister," Minister Gupta said.
He also mentioned that he has become a victim of technology misuse and expressed hope that no one else would become such a victim. "Now, once again, with a heightened sense of responsibility toward the country and its people, I pledge to return to the people's doorstep, committed to fulfilling the responsibilities given by the party with honesty and integrity," he stated.
We have also inquired about this with the prime minister's secretariat. The secretariat stated that the PM had summoned Minister Gupta on Monday and asked him to resign within 24 hours.
"Accordingly, Minister Gupta came to Baluwatar today and left his resignation letter," said the prime minister's secretariat.
CPN (UML) Chief Whip Mahesh Bartaula also confirmed that Minister Gupta has resigned from his post.
PM Oli had summoned Minister Gupta to Baluwatar and questioned him on Monday.
Demands for Minister Gupta's resignation had been made after an audio recording was made public, showing him making a deal related to a bribe transaction of Rs 2.5 million to make someone chairman of the Land Commission, Kaski and Rs 5.3 million to stop the transfer of the then-chief of the Kaski Land Revenue Office.
Minister Gupta, however, had been claiming that he was ready for voice testing and that the money (bribe) did not come into either his or the ministry's account.
Leaders of the ruling Nepali Congress, including Shekhar Koirala and General Secretary Gagan Thapa, had urged the PM to immediately dismiss Minister Gupta.
Additionally, UML leaders including Rajan Bhattarai had also demanded Minister Gupta's removal.
Gupta is also a member of parliament for UML and a central committee member.
