KATHMANDU, July 20-- The CPN-UML Kaski chapter has demanded the dismissal of Land Management Minister Balram Adhikari, who has been implicated in a bribery scandal.
In a full meeting held on Saturday, the Kaski chapter of UML called on the Prime Minister to remove Minister Adhikari from his post after an audio recording surfaced, allegedly revealing a bribery deal related to a plan to illegally seize 135 ropanis of land in Pokhara's Litchi Garden.
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Minister Adhikari, who is a central committee member of the UML, has been named in the same bribery audio that previously led to the resignation of Minister for General Administration Rajkumar Gupta. UML Kaski argues it is unjust for Adhikari to remain in office while Gupta has already stepped down, and thus demands Adhikari’s dismissal as well.
Following the meeting, UML Kaski Chairperson Bain Bahadur Adhikari Kshetri said, “A decision was made demanding equal investigation of both individuals involved in the bribery case and their prosecution if found guilty.”
Although the topic was not on the official meeting agenda, many district officials and members raised the issue, prompting the committee to formally decide on it. “It is not appropriate for one minister to resign while the other remains in office despite being involved in the same case,” Chairperson Adhikari said. “We have called for equal treatment and thorough investigation. If they are proven guilty, appropriate action should be taken.”
He added that the bribery scandal is damaging the party’s image, and most participants in the meeting stressed that only a fair investigation can resolve the issue.
“We want an impartial investigation,” he stated. “Just based on the audio, we are not claiming anyone guilty. It’s not for us to judge whether the audio is genuine or not. That must be determined by a forensic lab. Until then, it is the responsibility of the minister to cooperate with the investigation.”
Adhikari also informed that the party had already decided not to renew the membership of Sujan Lama, who is alleged to be a middleman in the bribery deal with the minister. Lama had taken UML party membership from Pokhara-25, but due to the controversy, the party decided not to renew it until the issue is resolved.
Earlier, an audio recording was made public, purportedly revealing a bribery deal involving Minister Adhikari to seize 135 ropanis of land in Lamachaur, Pokhara. About 40 years ago, the Kaski District Court and the Western Regional Court had ruled the land to be registered in the name of Durgadevi Shah and Lokdivyeshwari Shah. The audio suggests that middleman Lama was involved in a bribery arrangement to change the rightful ownership of this land.
