RPP-N asks PM to sack assistant minister Bista

 'Action motivated by bias due to differences with my father'
KATHMANDU, April 18: Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal (RPP-N) has asked Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to sack Assistant Minister for Federal Affairs and Local Development Biraj Bista from his post for allegedly working against the party's stated policy.

"Our party has asked the prime minister in writing to sack Assistant Minister Bista from the post as he has been found involved in activities against party policy," Mohan Shrestha, spokesman of RPP-N, told Republica.


The decision to recall Biraj Bista from the government comes within three weeks of the party's Central Committee deciding to sack co-chairman of the party Keshar Bahadur Bista, who is the father of Biraj, from all party positions for three years.

 Bista junior however claimed that the decision was motivated by the party leadership's differences with his father.

"Though I agree with some of the agenda raised by the party co-chair, I have been  working sincerely as per party policy and conducting myself in accordance with party discipline," Biraj told Republica. "So, the party leadership's move is motivated by a biased mindset due to the leadership's differences with my father. It is unfair."

Party leaders said RPP-N Chairman Kamal Thapa sacked Biraj from the government as he believed the latter had launched a campaign for garnering support from party rank and file across the country for his father.

"His father was campaigning within the party organization to the effect that it was a mistake on the part of the RPP-N to join the government and welcome the new constitution," said one party leader, requesting anonymity. "And Biraj Bista was supporting his father's agenda while remaining in the council of ministers. So there was no option than to sack him."

Keshar Bahadur Bista had earlier, in a statement, criticized the party leadership for welcoming the new constitution that has adopted secularism and a republican system as its key features.

He said this was against the party's official policy and against those who voted for the RPP-N for championing  constitutional monarchy and a Hindu state.

Many believe that with this move the fourth largest party in Parliament might be pushed toward a division.

 Bista senior has claimed that a culture of deifying party Chairman Thapa has been promoted within the organization and such a tendency has undermined democratic practice.

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