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Former envoy Upadhyay dares accusers: Prove allegations
Deep Kumar Upadhyay, the outgoing Nepali Ambassador to India, has dared the government to prove allegations against him.Deep Kumar Upadhyay, the outgoing Nepali Ambassador to India, has dared the government to prove allegations against him.
Talking to reporters at Tribhuvan International Airport upon his arrival from Delhi on Sunday, Upadhyay said: “I will leave my political and social life if allegations against me are proved.”
Hot on the heels of a dazzling drama of regime change, the government had recalled Upadhyay—the first casualty of the cancellation of President Bidhya Devi Bhandari’s planned visit to the southern neighbour.
The incumbent government had recalled Upadhyay, allegeing him of being involved in government change exercise both in Kathmandu and New Delhi, leaving the mission without informing the government and rubbing shoulders with Indian Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae and embarking on a visit to west Nepal without prior information of the government.
“It is not possible to change regime in Kathmandu if someone presses the button in New Delhi,” he said, adding that he will fully abide by the government decision to recall him. “It is an unfortunate for the country not only for me.”
Upadhyay, accompanied by his wife, was received by Nepali Congress cadres at the airport.
“I was recalled because the internal politics of the country, not because of bad relations between Nepal and India,” he said, adding that the ties between the two neighbours should remain good despite his “unceremonious” recall.
“If the government is seeking to appoint a confidential man, it is a decision I must obey,” said Upadhyay, who was appointed the envoy for New Delhi by the erstwhile Sushil Koirala government. Insisting that he still has a duty to meet with the prime minister and foreign minister, Upadhyay declined to elaborate on the topic.
Although PM’s aide and some ministers labeled allegations against him, a letter he received from the Foreign Ministry did not mention such allegations. “You have been relieved from the responsibility,” the letter reads.