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March 23, Kathmandu: Deepakkumar Sah (49), elected from Sunsari constituency number 4, is taking his parliamentary oath in the Maithili language.

The oath-taking ceremony for the members of the House of Representatives elected on February 21 will take place on March 26.

Explaining the reason for taking his oath in his mother tongue, Sah states, “I wanted to remain rooted. Protecting language helps in preserving culture. My mother tongue will now be officially recorded in the parliament.”

During his school days, Sah used to write poetry, including in Maithili. He reveals that he has been a long-time advocate for protecting the mother tongue.

He holds a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and Natural Resource Development from Pulchowk Engineering Campus and expresses his belief in pluralism.

Nepal’s Constitution embraces multilingualism, multi-religiosity, and multiculturalism as the pride and identity of the state. It emphasizes building an inclusive society that respects all languages, religions, and cultural identities. Sah considers this diversity the soul and identity of Nepalese society and says he plans to take further initiatives to strengthen it through policy measures.

There are other MPs like Sah who are taking their oaths in their respective mother tongues. Mohammad Ishtiaq Rai, elected from Banke constituency number 2, will take his oath in the Awadhi language.

The Oath Act 2079 includes provisions regarding the language of the oath, allowing parliamentarians to take their oaths in their mother tongues.

Rai has been elected as MP three times and has previously taken the oath in Awadhi as well.

“Every time I have been elected as MP, I have taken the oath in Awadhi. This time, I will do the same,” he says.

Rai was elected to the Constituent Assembly in 2064 BS and to the House of Representatives in 2074 BS. He had contested elections in 2070 and 2079 BS but was defeated.

Rai was just 28 years old when he first became an MP and was appointed Minister for Labour and Transport at age 31.

He has been actively involved in the preservation of language and culture since childhood and considers this a significant reason for the voters’ trust in him.

“People feel affinity with their spoken language. Taking the oath in the mother tongue is a way to bring that closeness to the parliament,” Rai says. “It affirms identity, instills pride within me, and creates a sense of belonging among voters.”

In Rai’s view, using the mother tongue in the parliament is an appropriate means to represent the constituency that elected him.

The Oath Act 2079 explicitly states in Article 5, “Oaths or affirmations must be made in the Nepali language for official purposes.” However, it also opens the way for MPs to take oaths in their mother tongues.

Meanwhile, proportional representation MP Khushbu Oli from the Rastriya Prajatantra Party plans to take her oath in Sanskrit.

When taking oaths in the mother tongue, MPs are required to submit a translated version of the oath, certified by themselves, to the oath-taking officials before the ceremony.

Individuals holding public office who take the oath in Nepali must submit two copies of the Nepali oath, and those who take it in their mother tongue must submit two copies of both the mother tongue oath and the Nepali oath to the officials.

According to Deputy Secretary Pradeep Guragain from the Federal Parliament Secretariat, MPs must declare the language they intend to use before the oath ceremony by submitting a form. MPs who wish to take oaths in their mother tongue have informed the secretariat via email or in person.

Newly elected MPs Ujjwal Kumar Jha and Matrika Prasad Yadav will take their oaths in Maithili. The 33-year-old Ujjwal was elected from Mahottari-3, and the 67-year-old Matrika from Dhanusha-1. A dispute regarding the rejection of the Rastriya Swatantra Party candidates in this area is under court consideration.

Kriparam Rana is preparing to take his oath in the Rana Tharu language. He is a proportional representation MP from the CPN UML party.

MPs Geeta Chaudhary and Pramila Kumari Gachhadar have also registered their intention to take the oath in Tharu. Geeta represents the Rastriya Swatantra Party, and Pramila represents the Nepali Congress, both elected through proportional representation.

Similarly, MPs Biraj Bhakta Shrestha and Kulbhakta Shakya will take their oaths in the Newar language. Kulbhakta was elected through the UML party’s proportional representation system, while Rastriya Swatantra Party leader Biraj Bhakta was directly elected from Kathmandu-8. Biraj, who was a member of the dissolved House of Representatives, previously took the oath in Nepali.

As mentioned, Rastriya Prajatantra Party’s proportional representation MP Khushbu Oli will be taking her oath in Sanskrit.

So far, MPs have registered their intention to take oaths in nine different languages, with 24 of them opting to do so in their mother tongues.

According to MP Deepak Sah, taking the oath in one’s mother tongue is not only about language use; it symbolizes that Nepal is a multilingual nation, that marginalized communities have reached the parliament, and that federalism and inclusive representation are reflected in this symbolic act.

The History of Taking Oaths in Mother Tongues

The practice of taking oaths in mother tongues began during the Panchayat regime, which had a policy of one language and one dress. Language rights activist Malla K. Sundar recalls that in 1986 (2042 BS), Padyamratna Tuladhar took the oath in his mother tongue at the National Panchayat.

After the establishment of the republic, the number of MPs taking oaths in mother tongues other than Nepali increased. In the 2008 Constituent Assembly, 264 members took their oaths in their respective mother tongues.

In 1991 (2048 BS), Gajendranarayan Singh, founder and chairman of Nepal Sadbhavana Party elected from Saptari-2, took the oath in Hindi.

Malla K. Sundar, who was a member of the Interim Legislature in 2006 (2063 BS), recalls that at that time, including himself, 58 members took oaths in various mother tongues.

The 2008 Constituent Assembly saw even more MPs taking oaths in their mother tongues, including languages like Maithili, Bhojpuri, Magar, Gurung, Western Tharu, Hindi, Newar, Limbu, Tamang, Rai, Eastern Tharu, Urdu, Rajbanshi, Thakali, Sherpa, Rana Tharu, Dhimal, Kumal, Western Darchula languages, Awadhi, Madwari, Jirel, Chepang, Banthar, Majhi, Sunuwar, and Baram.

Following the 2008 Constituent Assembly elections, the oath taken by Vice President Parmananda Jha in Hindi became a subject of legal dispute.

According to the Secretariat of Parliament, 35 MPs took oaths in languages other than Nepali in 2013 (2070 BS), 46 did so in 2017 (2074 BS), and 28 MPs took oaths in mother tongues in 2023 (2079 BS).

Language rights activist Sundar explains, “The linguistic diversity of Nepal should be represented within the structure of the parliament, and the oath is a message that embodies this representation.”

March 22, Pokhara – Krishna Prasad Jaisi, who had filed a complaint against G.V. Rai and Rastriya Swatantra Party Chairman Ravi Lamichhane in the Suryadarsan Cooperative scam, has now been arrested in connection with another cooperative fraud case.

Jaisi, known for advocating on behalf of the victims of the Suryadarsan Cooperative from protests to court proceedings, is identified as the chief architect in the Pokhara-based Dhanush Savings and Credit Cooperative scam.

His arrest follows a complaint submitted by the Gandaki Province Cooperative Registrar’s Office to the Kaski District Police Office. The complaint cites a financial analyst’s report by Nirmal Gautam, which exposes misappropriation amounting to NPR 125.6 million and requests further investigation.

Police confirmed Jaisi’s arrest and stated that arrest warrants have been issued for four others. Preliminary investigation conducted in mid-January 2025 submitted a report indicating embezzlement of NPR 191.8 million to the Registrar’s Office.

Despite repeated directives from the Registrar’s Office, only NPR 60 million has been recovered; NPR 125.6 million remains unrecovered, prompting the Registrar to request police investigation on March 24.

Formed by merging the former Saino and Dhanush cooperatives, Dhanush Savings and Credit Cooperative is managed by a newly established committee overseeing operations in former Pokhara-9 and Annapurna Rural Municipality’s Naudanda area.

According to the report, misappropriation predominantly involves key officials from the former Saino cooperative, including Chairman Gamrej Singh Gurung, his wife Kashimaya Gurung, daughter Sirjana Gurung, and Asim Baral, Director of AVS Engineering Consultancy and interim committee chair, with embezzlement reported up to NPR 30 million.

Additionally, the two managers of the Dhanush cooperative, Biraj Subedi and Jagat Paudel, are cited for embezzling NPR 22.5 million and NPR 12.5 million respectively. Meanwhile, Krishna Prasad Jaisi, who filed the complaint against Ravi Lamichhane in the Suryadarsan scam, is also implicated for creating fake accounts in his role as a loan subcommittee officer and embezzling NPR 8.2 million.

All these individuals have been identified as the chief masterminds behind the embezzlement, with the Provincial Cooperative Registrar’s Office recommending further investigation into other officials and board members.

In the Suryadarsan Cooperative scam in Pokhara, Ravi Lamichhane was first arrested based on a complaint filed by Jaisi. The initial case involved 19 suspects, including G.V. Rai, while a subsequent case named 51 defendants, including Lamichhane.

Charges filed included cooperative fraud, money laundering, and organized crime, seeking NPR 1.51 billion in damages. After his arrest in this case, Lamichhane was released on bail of NPR 6.5 million after 84 days in custody.

Krishna Prasad Jaisi was among the leaders of the victim group of the Suryadarsan cooperative in Pokhara. Prior to the election campaign on February 21 this year, during which Ravi had publicly expressed difficulties paying his child’s school fees after losing money in the cooperative, Jaisi had gained attention by showing school bills to Raswapa candidate Bina Gurung.

March 22, Kathmandu – A separate immigration desk has been launched at Tribhuvan International Airport for foreign nationals of Nepali origin, including Non-Resident Nepali citizens.

The airport’s immigration office has established special desks in both arrival and departure areas to facilitate these passengers.

According to Narhari Ghimire, Chief of the Immigration Office at Tribhuvan International Airport, previously there were separate desks for the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) members and passengers from visa-exempt countries.

Now, a dedicated immigration desk has been arranged specifically for foreign nationals of Nepali origin. This system is aimed at reinforcing the connection with the Nepali language, culture, and homeland, as well as enhancing tourism and investment opportunities.

As per the decision made by the Immigration Department on March 21, separate lines and immigration desks at Tribhuvan International Airport have been allocated for foreign nationals of Nepali origin in both arrival and departure sections.

March 22, Chitwan – A tanker collided with a scooter today in Nipani, Ratnanagar Municipality–9, causing the death of an individual. The victim has been identified as 35-year-old Meena Regmi from Bharatpur Metropolitan City–7.

According to Inspector Dipak Rizal of the District Police Office, the tanker bearing license number Lu 2 Kha 2894 was traveling from Khairahani towards Bharatpur when it struck a scooter with the plate number Na 55 Pa 077 exiting from an inner road.

Regmi, who was a passenger on the scooter, died as a result of the collision. The same tanker also hit two stationary motorcycles with license plates Na 65 Pa 7883 and Na 55 Pa 8083, as well as a bicycle.

The scooter’s driver, Purna Sapkota, also from Bharatpur Metropolitan City–7, suffered minor injuries. The police have taken into custody 24-year-old Sujan Tamang of Rapti Municipality–7 in connection with the incident.