Kathmandu, July 15
Raj Kumar Gupta, the Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration, who was accused of taking bribes, has resigned from his post. He announced his resignation today through a Facebook status.
Minister Gupta mentioned that he resigned to facilitate an investigation into the allegations against him and to help uncover the truth.
“It is known to all that for the past few days, my name has been consistently linked to a bribery deal and widely publicized. Sometimes, even poison one hasn’t consumed can take effect, I have now become a victim of such a situation,” he wrote. “In order to support the investigation and bring out the facts regarding the allegations, I have submitted my resignation from the post of Minister for General Administration to the Honorable Prime Minister.”
On Monday morning, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had summoned Gupta to his residence in Baluwatar and directed him to resign within 24 hours. Following this instruction, Minister Gupta tendered his resignation.
He also claimed that he had become a victim of the most advanced form of technology.
“With the hope that no one else becomes a victim of the extreme use of technology, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all who have supported me in various ways until now,” he wrote. “Now, once again, with a renewed sense of responsibility towards the nation and the people, I pledge to fulfill the responsibilities assigned by the party with honesty and integrity, and to return to the people’s doorsteps.”
A few days ago, an audio recording allegedly capturing Minister Gupta accepting a bribe was made public. The release of the audio led to widespread criticism. Opposition parties demanded his resignation and called for action against him.
According to the leaked audio recording, Gupta had already accepted some money last December/January in exchange for promising to get certain work done.
Although the main discussion in the audio is about the appointment of the Chairperson of the Land Commission in Kaski, there is also mention of land in Pokhara.
Minister Gupta has also been accused of calling various land revenue offices in different areas “asking for help,” and threatening to transfer officials to other ministries if his demands were not met.
