The Rastriya Swatantra Party has suspended its lawmaker Dhaka Kumar Shrestha after a leaked audio recording revealed a voice, purportedly Shrestha’s, asking for a bribe.

In the leaked audio, the voice asks for Rs20 million from another person, presumably the controversial medical entrepreneur Durga Prasai, so that Shrestha can become health minister and “bring about radical reforms in the health sector”.

Prasai is the owner of the Birtamode-based B & C Medical College and Teaching Hospital.

Shrestha in the audio states that the Rastriya Swatantra Party leaders had initially demanded around Rs25 million in order for him to be considered for the post of health minister. It appears that Shrestha and Prasai had engaged in a phone conversation to discuss the same on January 15 and the recording was leaked on Sunday.

At the time, the new Pushpa Kamal Dahal government, of which the RSP was an integral part, was in the process of expanding the Cabinet.

According to RSP Chief Whip Santosh Pariyar, the party has suspended Shrestha from both lawmaker and party membership pending investigation.

“The party has decided to launch an investigation into the matter. Action will be taken based on its findings,” Kabindra Burlakoti, joint general secretary of Rastriya Swatantra Party, told the Post.

“For now, Shrestha has been suspended as both lawmaker and party member, and been barred from carrying out any official duties.”

In a notice, RSP General Secretary Mukul Dhakal has instructed the party’s Central Discipline and Conduct Committee to launch an investigation into the matter and submit a report to the central committee within three days.

The notice further states that Shrestha has also been asked to submit a clarification to the Central Discipline and Conduct Committee within 24 hours.

In the leaked audio, Shrestha can be heard asking the former CPN-UML central committee member to pay Rs20 million, while further implying that party chair Lamichhane would appoint Shrestha the health minister if he could immediately give Rs10 million to the party.

Shrestha was elected to the lower house last year from indigenous nationalities category under proportional representation. The RSP became the fourth largest force in Parliament from last year’s major polls, winning 20 seats.

“If Shrestha was engaged in such an activity, it is good that it is out now. It is a serious issue. Such activities will not be tolerated,” said Burlakoti.

Another money-related dispute involving Shrestha is also pending in Pokhara. The Sathi Kisan Krishi Cooperative Limited has not been returning the money of the depositors for months.

Shrestha had exited the organisation last year, handing over the leadership to Shani Pathak, but the new leadership could not work as the old books of accounts had not been properly maintained.

The party’s central discipline committee says it will conduct an in-depth investigation into the matter.

Bharat Mani Devkota, the head of the committee, said, “We will investigate the issue under existing laws. We will explore ways to access the phone call details and also see whether the audio was doctored. We will collect maximum possible information by coordinating with the government.”

Political analyst Sanjeev Humagain said even as such incidents have become more frequent, the political parties have failed to tackle them effectively and to assure the public that they are intent on cleaning up their own house.

“The truth will unfold later but the RSP should at least have officially expressed its sadness over the incident and apologised for it. People have high expectations of the new party,” he said.