The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has stated that the vehicle seized in Salyan with alcohol and rice was being used by its owner for personal purposes.
Lokendra Oli, president of the RSP Bangad Kupinde Municipal Committee, issued a statement on Monday, clarifying that the vehicle owner had transported the goods either for personal use or to help a local businessman.
“The owner of the vehicle used during the election period transported the goods only for personal purposes or to help a local businessman after receiving the transportation cost. I would like to inform through this statement that our party has no involvement in this matter. The RSP Bangad Municipal Committee will always remain ready to assist the administration in investigating the truth of the incident,” Oli said in the statement.
While acknowledging that the vehicle had been used for campaign purposes, Oli denied allegations that alcohol and rice were being distributed.
“There is no doubt that the vehicle in which alcohol, rice, and other items were brought had been used by the RSP. However, I would like to inform through this statement that claims circulating on social media that the party was distributing alcohol and rice are completely false,” he said in the statement.
Around 9:45 a.m. on Monday, police found alcohol, rice and other items in a vehicle bearing the RSP flag at Salli Bazar, Bangad Kupinde Municipality-1.
According to Police Inspector Devraj Bhattarai of the District Police Office, Salyan, the jeep (Karnali Province 02-001 Cha 0429) was carrying two sacks of rice, 210 bottles of alcohol, two cartons of beer, and three cartons of cooking oil.
Police detained the driver, 24-year-old Chandra Prakash Budhathoki of Siddhakumakh Rural Municipality-4, and 37-year-old Mohan BC of Bangad Kupinde Municipality-1, who was in the vehicle.
Driver Budhathoki said that the goods belonged to BC, and that he had loaded them in the jeep to transport them to Khairagar, Bangad Kupinde-5, at BC’s request.
Karnali province general secretary Lalit Kumar Chand is the RSP candidate in Salyan.
Earlier, on Saturday night, police in Morang seized a vehicle used in election campaigning for the Nepali Congress after recovering around Rs 450,000 in cash and Nepali Congress campaign pamphlets.
