Politician Lal Babu Pandit’s autobiography, Singhadurbar Badalne Sangharsha, is now available in book stores. Published by Nepalaya, the book offers a peek into Pandit’s ministerial tenure and his widely-acclaimed endeavours to tackle the corruption and malpractices in the Nepali bureaucracy. 

“I saw corruption and malpractices everywhere in the bureaucracy after I became a minister and hence I thought the process of change needs to start from within,” publishers Nepalaya quote Pandit in a press release, “I have sincerely put forward the work carried out during my tenure as a minister. I hope people who are committed to positive change and nation building will read this book.” Pandit, a CPN (UML) leader, served as the Minister of General Administration in the Sushil Koirala-led cabinet in 2014. 

Pandit’s crusade—the ‘Sangharsha’—started early on. Publishing a list of 1,100 senior government officials who were in possession of Permanent Residence Status of foreign nations, the government had decided to forbid them from holding important positions of the state. In the wake of this audacious decision, one of Pandit’s initiatives, many government employees abandoned their dual citizenship.

Singhadurbar Badalne Sangharsha begins with Pandit receiving a call from Party Chairman on his ministerial appointment while commuting on a public vehicle and ends with him shifting his residence from Ministerial quarter to a rented apartment after the dissolution of the cabinet. 

“We decided to publish Pandit’s autobiography because we thought his life and struggle would be an inspiration to the readers,” says Saijan Maskey, CEO of Publication Nepalaya. “The book sheds light on a political leader who showed tremendous hope and aspiration amid utter political chaos,” she added. The book is written in collaboration with journalist Mukesh Pokhrel.