Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, Narayan Kaji Shrestha, has said that corruption control, promotion of good governance and social justice are the incumbent government’s main responsibilities at present. Talking to journalists informally at his private residence at Hattiban, Lalitpur today, he said the government’s attention is directed at social and economic transformation. “A qualitative change should have come in the lives of the people following the political change, but that could not happen. Now, there is the aspiration among the people for a new model of prosperity and development and for an economic and social change that the people can feel. So, the government is centred on social and economic transformation,” he said. Although political achievements were made on the force of the people’s struggle, the very rationale of the changes is being questioned as the people’s economic and social condition has not improved, DPM Shrestha said, adding that the development and prosperity are the government’s goals.
According to him, the political achievements should be expanded to the field of social and economic development to bring about socio-economic transformation in the country by means of the political changes. He also stressed on the need of giving an impetus to the country’s prosperity journey and achieving qualitative output from it, stating that the government has focussed its attention on good governance. Stating that corruption and commission-mongering has made the country weaker, the Deputy Prime Minister viewed the country would remain in the same situation it is now even after the political changes if corruption was not strongly dealt with. He reiterated that corruption could not be rooted out without cleansing the political sector, stating that the nexus of commission-mongering and corruption is protected in one or the other form from the political leadership. Fake Bhutanese scandal is painful DPM Shrestha said the fake Bhutanese refugee scandal that took place at the highest official level is a matter of shame.
“This is a painful episode. The process has been forwarded for bringing anyone involved in this scam to justice,” he said, adding that he has directed the police to carry out additional investigation into this matter, taking the questions in the minds of the public related to this scandal seriously. Stating that the government’s attention has now centred on the Lalita Niwas land-grab scandal, DPM Shrestha asserted that the police have pursued investigation into this scam in an impartial manner. “We have issued clear directives (to the police) to desist from any political pressure and influence and not to procrastinate what to do regarding any individual allegedly involved in the scam,” he added. The DPM and Home Minister claimed the Lalita Niwas property belonged to the government and various investigations and evidences collected from them in the past vindicated to this. He also claimed that unlike in the past there is zero alleged money changing hands and nepotism and favouratism in the transfer and promotion of police personnel. DPM Shrestha said Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has also not given any kind of pressure to him regarding transfer and promotion of police and civil service employees.
