Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has told the members of the parliamentary State Affairs and Good Governance Committee that he wouldn’t engage in any kind of corruption nor will he tolerate such activities.

Oli was charged with ‘policy corruption’ in the Giri Bandhu tea estate scam, mainly by the Nepali Congress, before the formation of the current government. Nepali Congress is now the main coalition partner in the Oli government.

While participating in the meeting to discuss amendments to the bill related to the Prevention of Corruption Act-2002 at the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee on Tuesday, Oli claimed that all allegations against him in corruption were attempts to smear him.

“I have never committed corruption in my life,” Oli said. “I do not tolerate corruption… Corruption committed beyond my notice is a different matter.”

Oli’s claim comes less than two months after he was scrutinised for his alleged involvement in the tea estate land swap scam. In early June, pressure mounted in Parliament to investigate the Oli government's decision to permit the Giri Bandhu tea estate in Jhapa to swap its land with plots elsewhere in the Koshi province. Many political parties in Parliament were zeroing in on the idea that the multi-billion-rupee scam must be probed.

The Supreme Court on February 7 overturned the erstwhile Oli government’s decision on the tea estate land swap. On April 26, 2021, a government led by Oli, who is also the CPN-UML chairman, allowed the tea estate to reap benefits from land holdings above the legal ceiling.

The Supreme Court’s full text of the verdict on the tea estate, issued on May 12, had sparked political and legal debates. Subsequently, Nepali Congress, the main opposition at the time, demanded an investigation into the decision-making process of the land swap permit.

The Congress's parliamentary party meeting on May 14 officially clarified its position and demanded an investigation into the issue. But after the change in coalition partners following the Congress-UML midnight deal on July 1 the tea estate issue has taken a back seat.

Hitraj Pandey, the chief whip of CPN (Maoist Centre) and a member of the committee, doubts the prime minister's claims.

Pandey alleges that the present coalition of the Congress and the UML was formed as the two largest parties were afraid of the earlier Maoist-led government's zero tolerance of corruption. Therefore, Oli, who leads the Congress-UML government, is not serious about corruption control, Pandey argues.

Former coalition partners Maoist Centre and Rastriya Swatantra Party claim that after their government detained Bechan Jha, who was linked to the fake Bhutanese refugee issue, the Congress and the UML had teamed up to topple the earlier government.

Corruption control is best served by action—not words, Pandey told the Post. He also claimed to have said the same thing to Prime Minister Oli upon completion of his address.

Chitra Bahadur KC of Rastriya Janamorcha said that Oli saying he won’t indulge in corruption is not a new thing. KC is a committee member, who was a deputy prime minister during Oli’s first prime ministerial stint in 2015.

Corruption has become a trend in Nepal, KC told the Post. “It cannot be prevented only by laws while leaders continue to commit it.”

Meanwhile, during his address to the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee, Prime Minister Oli said that effective corruption control and prevention is necessary to drive the country on the path of development. He added that the government would amend laws related to corruption to maintain good governance.

“I would like to assure all the lawmakers that there will be no corruption from my side,” Oli said.

The prime minister said that the government would take strict action against corrupt people. This is Oli’s first participation in a meeting of the parliamentary committee after becoming the prime minister on July 15.

On July 31, Oli was summoned to the committee to discuss the ‘peace and security and prison management’ agenda. However, he sent Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak to the meeting, citing his busy schedule.