Deadlock ends in Parl as Nepal PM expresses regret over his controversial remarks

Kathmandu, July 10: Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ on Monday expressed regret over his controversial remarks that an Indian businessman staying here made efforts to make him the premier, saying he should not have made those comments in his present capacity.
On July 3, during a book launch event, Prime Minister Prachanda said that Sardar Pritam Singh, a pioneer trucking entrepreneur in Nepal, played a key and historic role in enhancing Nepal-India relations and lobbied for him.
“He (Singh) had once made efforts to make me the prime minister,” Prachanda said. “He travelled to Delhi several times and held multiple rounds of talks with political leaders in Kathmandu to make me the prime minister,” Prachanda said during the event.
Prachanda, 68, was sworn in as Nepal’s Prime Minister for a third time on December 26. His remarks stirred up a political storm and invited criticism from several quarters. The Opposition demanded his resignation. However, a close aide of Prachanda said that the Prime Minister will not resign.
Clarifying his controversial remarks while addressing the Parliament session on Monday, Prachanda acknowledged his lapse in judgment during the speech. “I should not have spoken what I spoke as the Prime Minister…On that day, I spoke not as a Prime Minister but as a father of a daughter,” he said. (PTI)