Demand for Home Minister’s resignation baseless: PM Oli

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Jun,1: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the opposition’s demand for Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak’s resignation, based solely on questions raised against a single employee, is baseless and unjustified.

Speaking during a discussion organised by Kantipur Publication on Saturday,  Prime Minister Oli clarified that no charges have been made against Home Minister Lekhak, nor has any authority initiated an investigation against him. 

He emphasised that placing an unrealistic demand as a bottom line and obstructing parliament is not acceptable.

“I respect the opposition’s right to voice their concerns and protest, but such actions should be based on rational and well-founded arguments," said Prime Minister Oli. 

“There are many employees under the Home Ministry. One of them was summoned by the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), but I haven’t heard that any interrogation is being conducted. The opposition simply dislikes this government. If they would intensify their demands and even ask for the ouster of the government, it wouldn’t be surprising,” he added. 

PM Oli further added that “Last year, when the then Home Minister was asked to resign, the CIB under the same ministry was actively investigating the case. It is not the case this time. So, it's clear the opposition is merely looking for an excuse to advance their agendas.”

Using a metaphor, the Prime Minister said, “When children ask for a toy elephant or a school bag, we can buy it for them. But if they ask to put a real elephant inside a bag, that’s simply not possible, just like the opposition’s current demand for the Home Minister’s resignation.”

Responding to a question regarding the national budget tabled in parliament, Prime Minister Oli said that the current budget is realistic and achievable.

“We are not here to be populist. We aim to do meaningful work. If we bring a budget that goes beyond reality, it would steer the economy towards an unsustainable path,” he said.

He added, “We initially focused on infrastructure development. Since significant progress has been made in that area, we are now concentrating on social security, good governance and development.”