Nepal’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Bimalendra Nidhi resigned on Sunday. Although his resignation letter does not mention a reason, Nidhi is believed to have been unhappy with the move to impeach Chief Justice Sushila Karki by keeping him in the dark, reported The Kathmandu Post.
The development comes two weeks before the local elections. Nidhi said he will continue to work for his party – the Nepali Congress – in upcoming polls and amend the Constitution so that the grievances of Madhes-based parties can be addressed. “I have resigned from the post of deputy prime minister and home minister. I remain committed for the amendment of the Constitution and successful elections,” he said on Twitter.
Nidhi is believed to have expressed his disappointment over Karki’s removal. He had alleged that NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba had not informed him about the plans to file the impeachment motion. “I was kept in the dark while such a big decision was being made under my ministry. So I made up my mind to resign on moral grounds,” he said, according to The Kathmandu Post.
The Nepal government had registered the impeachment motion against Karki earlier on Sunday, which suspended the country’s first female chief justice from the post immediately.
Karki was set to retire next month. She was ousted a day before the Supreme Court was scheduled to deliver a verdict on the appointment of the new inspector general of police. The police force is under the command of the home minister.
As many as 249 legislators from the NC and CPN-Maoist Centre had accused Karki of being biased. Attorney General Raman Shrestha said she had tampered with the performance review of candidates for the inspectors general’s post, reported IANS.
Trouble started after the government appointed Jay Bahadur Chand to the post. His rival, Nawaraj Silwal, had moved the Supreme Court, which had ordered Silwal’s appointment on the basis of merit and seniority. But Silwal was forced to move the top court again after the government appointed Prakash Aryal the new police chief. Fearing that the bench may rule in Silwal’s favour, the two ruling parties decided to register the impeachment motion.
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