Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has maintained that Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak does not need to resign simply because the opposition parties in Parliament have demanded it.

The prime minister termed the opposition’s demand as biased, baseless and unfair as the main opposition the CPN (Maoist Centre), the Rastriya Swatantra Party, among others, continue to obstruct meetings at the House of Representatives. They have demanded the home minister’s resignation over alleged irregularities at the immigration department at Tribhuvan International Airport while issuing visit visas.

Speaking at the function after inaugurating the 13th Kantipur Half Marathon on Saturday, Oli claimed that the home minister had no involvement in the ‘visit visa scam’.

“No legal issue has been registered against the home minister. This is not even an issue. Demanding his resignation is an entirely prejudiced, baseless, and unfair act,” the prime minister said. “The home minister does not need to resign, and therefore, he won’t.”

He also maintained that just because an employee was summoned for questioning by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority does not mean the home minister must quit the post.

“An employee under the home ministry was called in for questioning—does that mean the minister must step down?”

Meanwhile Prime Minister Oli also advised leaders of the ruling Nepali Congress not to engage in public squabbles. He urged Congress leaders not to expose their internal party disputes publicly.

Oli made the remarks in the context of some Congress leaders themselves demanding the resignation of Home Minister Lekhak over the ‘visit visa scam’.

A group of Congress leaders from the dissident faction led by Shekhar Koirala sought Lekhak’s resignation on moral grounds for the wrongdoings reportedly taking place at the immigration department under the home ministry.

“There may be problems within a party but such matters should be handled within the organisation. Please resolve your household quarrels indoors. Don’t create a spectacle in the courtyard and disturb the neighbours,” the prime minister said. “If it escalates into a real brawl, someone may have to step in to separate you. So, it’s better not to fight in public.”

The Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML,— the two largest parties in the House of Representatives — formed the current coalition in July last year with an understanding to head the government on a rotational basis. As per the understanding, UML chair Oli will hand over the government leadership to Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba after completing two years in office starting July last year.