Here are some of the big stories from today's The Kathmandu Post.
Recent graft charges and subsequent debate indicate erosion of political culture
After 30 years of parliamentary democracy, 10 years of Maoist insurgency and four years of constitution-drafting, the ruling and opposition parties in Nepal today are squabbling over the constitutional anti-graft agency and its recent move.
The ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) is treating the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority as one of the agencies under the government, while the primary opposition Nepali Congress is griping about the commission working at the behest of the current dispensation. The government is facing criticism for using the anti-graft agency to protect some ruling party leaders, while the primary opposition has accused it of being guided by vendetta.
Congress objection to anti-graft body’s move may be right, but the means is wrong, analysts say
Ever since the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority filed graft charges against 175 individuals in relation to the Lalita Niwas land grab, the Nepali Congress has been protesting from the streets and Parliament, saying the move to indict its leader Bijay Kumar Gachhadar is biased and guided by political vendetta.
The Congress obstructed the proceedings of the House of Representatives on Sunday as well, the third time since Thursday. Its youth wings have taken to the streets.
The main opposition is griping about the anti-graft body’s decision to exonerate two former prime ministers, whose Cabinets actually took the decisions, and Nepal Communist Party (NCP) General Secretary Bishnu Poudel and his son Nabin Poudel. Similarly, the Congress has also objected to the anti-graft body’s move of not implicating former chief secretary Leela Mani Paudyal, even though it has dragged three government secretaries to the court in the related case.
National Human Rights Commission directs government to take immediate measures to evacuate Nepalis from China’s Hubei province
The National Human Rights Commission has directed the government to immediately evacuate the 185 Nepali students from Hubei Province of China in the wake of the deadly coronavirus outbreak that has so far killed over 800 people all around the world.
The rights body said in a statement on Sunday that its emergency meeting decided to direct the government to create an environment to bring back its citizens from Hubei.
The statement, pointing out the risk of Nepalis contracting the disease if they stay in the region for a longer period, said that it has decided to summon secretaries of various ministries to take stock of the situation.
9.7°C Kathmandu
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