Kathmandu, May 28
When the KP Sharma Oli government was busy celebrating the Republic Day at the Nepal Army Parade Ground on Saturday, former President Ram Baran Yadav was nowhere in sight.
It turned out that the former president was taking rest at his home in Janakpur, despite the government’s invitation for the official Republic Day event at the parade ground.
Rajendra Dahal, who was press adviser to Yadav during his presidency, says: Yadav is not trying to show his dissatisfaction by not attending the formal event. He told Onlinekhabar: Former President Yadav may have attended the event if he were in Kathmandu. He is in Janakpur, so how can he attend the event? Unlike in the past, government send a helicopter for him.
Responding to a query, Dahal told Onlinekhabar: The former president was in no way trying to avoid the official event. Rather, he wanted to celebrate the event in his own way.
But Dahal concedes that Yadav is not attending any event on the big day at Janakpur. He is taking rest at his home.
On Friday, he had interacted with schoolchildren on the republic. Dahal described this as an innovative way of observing the Republic Day. A source at the Ministry of Home Affairs said Yadav had not informed the government that he will not be taking part in the formal event to be organised to mark the day.
Meanwhile, former Vice-President Paramananda Jha returned from the parade ground without taking part in the event, apparently because there was a confusion regarding his seating arrangement.
