Nepali Congress leader and former minister Rajendra Kharel has passed away.
He died on Sunday evening at the age of 80. He had been undergoing treatment at Frontline Hospital in Kathmandu.
His son, Mahesh Kharel, who is also the mayor of Panchkhal Municipality, confirmed that he passed away on Sunday evening.
Kharel was a leader known within the Nepali Congress for his simplicity and modest lifestyle. He had been suffering from asthma for the past few years.
Kharel was elected as a member of the House of Representatives in the 1999 general election.
A veteran of Nepal's democratic movement, Kharel served as minister of state for education and later as minister for women, children and social welfare after the restoration of democracy.
Kharel's body has been kept at the party's central office in Sanepa for tributes. Nepali Congress office-bearers and leaders, including party President Gagan Thapa, will pay their respects to Kharel at the party headquarters.
According to the party's central office, Kharel's last rites will be performed at 1 p.m. on Monday at Pashupati Aryaghat.
