Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba and his wife, then-foreign minister Arzu Rana Deuba, were attacked at their residence during the Gen Z movement. Some protestors and security personnel protected and handed them over to the Nepal Army that then took the Deuba couple to Shivapuri.
Protestors broke into Deuba's residence in Budhanilkantha, Kathmandu on September 9, assaulted the occupants, and set the house on fire. As the house burned, rumors spread on social media that a large amount of cash had been found inside. There was also talk that bundles of domestic and foreign currency were found at the Deuba residence.
The rumors are still circulating. Similarly, there were false rumors that 80 kilograms of gold were found at the residence of Kanakai Mayor Rajendra Pokhrel during the turmoil in Jhapa.
Whether the rumors of bundles of cash being found at the residence of Deuba, a five-time prime minister, and Arzu are true or false has yet to be revealed. The Deuba couple has not commented on the matter as they are still recovering from their injuries. State authorities have also not said anything about it.
Amidst these rumors, the issue was forcefully raised during a party meeting organized by the NC Central Office on Monday evening.
The virtual meeting held by the Central Office began at seven Monday evening and featured district presidents from across the country. The meeting was chaired by Vice-president Purna Bahadur Khadka and attended by General Secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma, as well as district presidents from 65 districts.
During the meeting that ran late into the night, district presidents asked the central leadership about the reality of the money allegedly found at the Deuba residence in Budhanilkantha.
"Social media is abuzz with talk that bundles of cash were found at the Deuba residence. District presidents raised this issue in the meeting, asking if it was true or false," said a NC district president.
Burnt currency notes allegedly found at the Deuba residence.
The first person to bring up the issue in the meeting was the district president of Palpa Himal Shrestha. "The NC president and his wife were attacked, and their house was burned. During that incident, there were widespread rumors that a lot of cash was found," he said. "What is the truth of this? The party has not said anything so far, neither confirming nor denying it. We must be clear about what's going on."
Ilam's president Dambar Khadka also raised the same issue. "Everywhere, there are rumors that money was found at the Deuba residence. What is the reality, and why isn't the party speaking about this?" he asked.
After more than half a dozen district presidents raised similar questions, General Secretary Sharma addressed the matter.
"There are rumors, and there's a lot of discussion on social media, more than that in mainstream media," said a district president quoting Sharma's response. "The president is currently injured. They will clarify this themselves."
The same president stated that Sharma also said that if anyone possesses unaccounted-for assets, the state should investigate the matter. "The general secretary clarified that an individual can be in the party, but if the individual has done something wrong, the party cannot bear the blame; the individuals themselves must be held responsible," the president said.
The majority of district presidents who spoke at the meeting stressed that the party must transform itself by embracing and understanding the sentiments of the new generation.
Lalitpur's president Jitendra Shrestha alleged that some district-level NC leaders were openly involved in the vandalism and arson on September 9. "It was also seen that Congress leaders were openly inciting the mass," he said in the meeting. "How can we run such a Congress? Transformation has become an essential condition."
Baitadi's president Chatur Bahadur Chand said that NC has faced many adversities repeatedly throughout its history and will overcome the current challenges, but the party needs to transform according to the feelings of the new generation.
The majority of district presidents who spoke at the meeting said that forming coalition government with CPN-UML was the biggest mistake NC had made.
After listening to the views of almost all the participating district presidents General Secretary Gagan Thapa addressed the meeting. Thapa stated that the state should investigate financial crimes and irregularities and stressed that party transformation is essential and requires everyone's support.
"Right now, many of our houses have been burned, and private and state property has been set on fire. In such a situation, we must choose the path of patience with high morale," Thapa said. "We organized this meeting to understand the views of our party colleagues across the country. As you have said, we all have to transform the party with high morale. We can do it, and we will do it."
Thapa stated that a rebuilding process is necessary for the party from top to bottom. Having publicly called for party transformation before, he urged the district presidents in the meeting to support the campaign to build a new NC.
At the meeting, Vice-president Khadka urged the district presidents not to be disheartened and to get back to work for the party.
