Immigration Scandal: CPN-UML High Meeting Decides Not to Take a Decision

In the end, nothing unexpected and all went well. 

After the UML Secretariat meeting on Sunday, a crucial issue—whether Minister for Home Affairs Ramesh Lekhak, who is one of the ministers representing the Nepali Congress in the ruling coalition, should resign in the wake of a human trafficking scandal involving a rigged regime operating not only at the Tribhuvan International Airport’s Immigration Office but much beyond—did come up because it had to come up, at least for public consumption if not for anything else.

Much to the relief of every participant, Shankar Pokharel, UML general secretary, said: Leveling charges is not the end in itself.

Pokharel went on to speculate that the “concerned authority” must have given attention to the matter, making it clear, as if it was not clear enough already, that the authority itself shall investigate the case.

After leaders who mattered decided to not make a decision at such an important gathering, Prime Minister and UML President KP Sharma Oli, accompanied by vice-presidents Bishnu Paudel and Ishwar Pokharel,  had a meeting with the Congress brass including party President Sher Bahadur Deuba, Vice-president Purna Bahadur Khadka, Minister Lekhak and Minister for Foreign Affairs Arzu Rana Deuba on the matter.

The gist of the UML brainstorming, for which the UML is well-known, is that the party has decided not to take a decision on the matter. It has decided that the Congress should take the final call, making it clear that whatever the latter decides will be acceptable to it.