Dear Prime Minister,
An audio recording has surfaced in which a member of your cabinet, Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration Rajkumar Gupta, is allegedly involved in a "bribe deal."
Generally, private conversations between two individuals do not become public matters, nor should they be. Under the right to privacy, many conversations between individuals should not be made public. We must all respect the distinction between public and private spaces.
However, a bribe deal, especially involving a federal minister, is a different matter. It is not only a matter of public concern but also one that requires immediate investigation by state authorities. As the head of the government, you must take swift action on this matter.
Given that an audio recording of your minister allegedly discussing a bribe deal has been made public, you should be the most concerned and show the utmost urgency. You should take the first step. This issue does not implicate only one minister. Minister Gupta has claimed that Minister for Land Management Balaram Adhikari "has already taken money but won’t do that work."
Therefore, you should summon Minister Gupta and ask whether the voice in the audio is his. As he has told the media that some parts of the audio are his voice while others are not, you should immediately send the audio for forensic examination to verify his claims.
After such a serious audio was made public, you should have already taken these steps as prime minister and informed the Nepali public about it.
You should have said: "I have sent the audio for forensic examination. If the examination confirms that the voice in the audio belongs to the minister, I will immediately dismiss him and refer the matter to the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) for further action."
Had you said this, your public stance of "I neither engage in corruption nor allow others to do so" would have retained its credibility.
So far, we are unaware of any steps you have taken in this audio controversy, and neither are the Nepali people. If you have sent the audio for forensic examination or taken any other effective measures, you have not informed the public.
Your indifference to this issue, hours after the audio surfaced, is making a mockery of your claim that "I neither engage in corruption nor allow others to do so."
Prime Minister, poor governance is the weakest link in our democracy. The blame for this lies primarily with the top leaders of political parties.
You and other leaders often leave corruption matters to the CIAA and sit idly by. In many instances, you have defended the wrongdoings and mistakes of your leaders and cadres, while the primary responsibility of ending corruption lies with political leadership. By now, it should be crystal clear to all of you that the CIAA alone cannot control corruption while political leadership remains apathetic.
Prime Minister, let us set a new precedent with this incident involving Minister Gupta. If forensic examination confirms that the voice in the audio is his, do not ask for his resignation—dismiss him immediately. Additionally, refer both him and Minister Balaram Adhikari to the CIAA for necessary investigation.
If the forensic examination shows, as Minister Gupta claims, that the audio has been manipulated, keep him in his position for now, but refer the matter to the CIAA for a detailed investigation and inform the Nepali people about it.
We hope the CIAA is already investigating this matter. However, when the prime minister refers a case involving his own minister to the CIAA, it sets a new precedent for good governance and also further strengthens the CIAA.
Prime Minister, if you fail to take necessary action in the Gupta case and cannot convince the Nepali people, your credibility will further erode. The trust of Nepali citizens in political parties and democracy will weaken further.
