Prime Minister Removes Labor Minister Amid Allegations, Remains Silent on Questions Surrounding Home Minister

News Summary
Prime Minister Balendra Shah has removed former Labor Minister Deepak Kumar Sah from his ministerial position following allegations that he appointed his wife to the Health Insurance Board. Meanwhile, Home Minister Sudhan Gurung faces legal scrutiny for failing to disclose founder shares worth Rs 50 lakh in two microinsurance companies in his asset declaration. The Central Committee of the Rastriya Samajbadi Party (Raswapa) did not discuss the matter concerning Home Minister Gurung and has not issued an official response. Kathmandu, 8 Baisakh.

Questions arose against then Labor Minister Deepak Kumar Sah after accusations surfaced that he had appointed his wife as a member of the Health Insurance Board. Prime Minister Balendra Shah conducted an internal inquiry on the issue but provided Sah with only informal questioning and did not offer any formal opportunity to clarify. Instead, he quickly decided to recall Sah, removing him from his ministerial post. Sah’s tenure ended within just 13 days. Many viewed the Prime Minister’s decisive action as a courageous move toward good governance.

However, the controversy surrounding Home Minister Sudhan Gurung is considered more serious and has elicited silence from both the Prime Minister and his party, Raswapa. Meanwhile, there have been meetings between party chairman Ravi Lamichhane and Prime Minister Balendra Shah. Home Minister Gurung also met with chairman Lamichhane on Tuesday. Despite this, neither the government nor the party has publicly released any formal stance on the matter. A Raswapa meeting held on Monday, during which widespread questions about Gurung gained attention, reportedly did not address the issue.

Home Minister Gurung failed to disclose shares he acquired in two microinsurance companies in his asset report. Questions have been raised about the source of his share purchases and his connection to controversial individuals. Although he issued clarifications via social media, the party has yet to hold discussions regarding the matter. While some Raswapa leaders spoke openly about the issue in previous days, they have since maintained silence, and press inquiries have gone unanswered.