Hrithik row now in Nepalese parliament, opposition wants Koirala to quit

KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 28: The 10-month-old G.P. Koirala government in Nepal faces a serious threat to its survival in the wake of incidents ...

KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 28: The 10-month-old G.P. Koirala government in Nepal faces a serious threat to its survival in the wake of incidents of violence, arson and loot gripping the capital during the past three days. Dissidents within the ruling Nepali Congress slapped a no-confidence motion against the Koirala ministry seeking a change of leadership of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP).

About 56 ruling party legislators, with more signatures promised at the time of ,voting formally registered the motion against Koirala holding him responsible for the near collapse of law and order and unprecedented level of corruption’ in the government.

Kathmandu, however, appeared gradually returning to normal, as today’s day-long bandh called by youth and student organisations belonging to various left parties remained casualty free except some minor clashes. Hrithik Roshan, who the student groups had accused of making derogatory remarks against Nepal and Nepalese, helped in pacifying the situation by denying ever having made the remarks attributed to him.

The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, obviously concerned over assault of Indian nationals by the frenzied mob, arranged for Hrithik’s interview which was broadcast by the government controlled Nepal television and radio. The clarification was also frontpaged by most Nepalese newspapers with nationwide circulation.

But the dissidents accused the government of not having anticipated the situation. They said they were not viewing the violence connected with Hrithik Roshan’s controversy in isolation. The Maoist insurgency movement which has continued in the country for the past five years has been the most violent during the past ten months of Koirala’s latest tenure in terms of casualties. At least 200 policemen have lost their lives during the period.

In their notice of no-confidence, dissidents also charged the government of setting a new record in the scale of corruption. Parliament’s Public Account Committee has been probing into the recent controversial lease deal between the government controlled Royal Nepal Airlines and Austrian Company Lauda Air. Koirala, his civil aviation minister and the top brass of the Royal Nepal Airlines had all been interrogated by the PAC, which is to submit its report shortly.

However, dissidents say they are convinced about the involvement of the corporation as well as the ministry in the deal’, and claim that it would not have been possible without clear political patronage.

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The CPP secretary secretary, after due verification of signatures in the petition, sets a date for trial of strength in the CPP. A simple majority on their side will remove Koirala. However, even in the event of the Koirala’s exit, the successor government does not look like going to be a stable one.

Koirala had led party dissidents and replaced K.P. Bhattarai as PM in March. He had promised to give the country a clean government besides solving the Maoists problem.