Kanchan Bichchha, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) lawmaker who became a minister in the Madhesh provincial government, has said that she had consulted with party Chairman Rajendra Lingden before joining the government.
She is the only RPP lawmaker in Madhesh and has joined the government headed by the CPN-UML as a minister.
Chief Minister Saroj Kumar Yadav appointed Bichchha as minister. However, Yadav faced controversy after taking the oath as chief minister at a hotel.
Bichchha, who became a minister from the RPP, said that she had consulted Chairman Lingden when a new government was being formed.
“I did consult with the chairman before joining the government,” Bichchha said, responded to journalists’ questions on Saturday. “He told me to proceed according to the circumstances. He also mentioned giving support as per the situation.”
She then joined the government, Bichchha said.
“He said that he would talk later about joining the government. When I joined, it was to work for the Madheshi people and to strengthen the party organization,” she said. “Consultations with him were ongoing. The situation arose such that I had to join the Cabinet right then.”
Shortly after Bichchha was appointed minister, Chairman Lingden asked her to leave the government. However, she has not yet stepped down.
Meanwhile, the RPP disciplinary committee has sought clarification from Bichchha and recommended action to remove her as a proportional lawmaker and expel her from party membership.
