CPN (UML) Secretary Top Bahadur Rayamajhi has gone missing since May 3 after being accused of sending Nepali citizens to America in the guise of Bhutanese refugees.
Rayamajhi, who left the CPN (Maoist Center) and joined the UML, defeated the ruling coalition leader with a wide margin of votes in the last November 20 elections.
In the 10th UML General Convention held in Chitwan, he won the post of secretary with handsome votes and was considered close to Chairman KP Sharma Oli.
After being accused in the case of fake refugees, he left Sandhikharka for Kathmandu saying that he would help the law. But after he reached Butwal, he switched off his mobile phone and went missing.
After the disappearance of Rayamajhi while the arrest warrant has been issued by the District Court Kathmandu, the ruling parties are going at UML Chairman Oli.
While the father has been missing for five days, his son Sandeep is in the custody of the District Police Range, Kathmandu. The victims claimed to have found a check of 1.5 million in his name four years ago.
So much so that former Maoist leader Ram Bahadur Thapa ‘Badal’, who is currently the vice-chairman of the UML, has also been dragged into this case.
Along with Keshav Dulal and Tanka Gurung who have already been arrested, former Minister for Communications and Information Technology Nainkala Thapa, the wife of former Home Minister Thapa, and then Home Secretary Prem Rai, who was the head of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), have also been implicated in the scam.
Badal's then-security advisor Dr. Indrajit Rai is currently doing time in police custody.
As the issue grabbed the headlines, the leaders and wives of the ruling party have also been dragged into it.
In an audio dialogue that has been going viral on social media for a few days, the so-called victims have also mentioned the name of former Home Minister Balkrishna Khand.
While the news that Balkrishna and his wife Manju's names have been mentioned by the arrested persons, the audio is now going viral on social networking sites -- Facebook, TikTok and Twitter.
A 15 to 20-minute-long audio involving the conversation of three people is said to be with the police investigating the case. But the 1-minute and 3-second long audio clip has implicated the Khand and Deuba family as well.
In the said audio, you can hear the dialogue between former Prime Minister Deuba's wife Arzu Rana and former Home Minister Khand's wife Manju.
The police have also started an investigation into this audio.
"The whistleblower has submitted the 15-20 minute audio to us. The people whose names are mentioned in it are not revealed. It remains to be seen whether the allegations are just made or the evidence confirms them," said a police officer involved in the investigation.
It has been claimed that Arzu took Rs 25 million and Manju took Rs 60 million at home during the dialogue in the audio. This audio, which was first released on TikTok, is now going viral on Twitter and Facebook, too.
The audio mentions that Arzu and Manju jointly received 85 million rupees from a group that collected billions of rupees on the pretext of making fake refugees and sending them to America.
"Rs 25 million rupees have been paid to Arzu Rana", says a person in the audio, "Rs 60 million have been paid to Balkrishna Khand at Hanumanthan. Manju Khand received it. I have proof."
According to the audio, Manju went to the house behind Hanumanthan in Anamnagar and was given Rs 60 million. But Manju Khand said that she has been living in Chabahil for four years.
Manju responded saying that the audio is fake and designed to intentionally defame her.
Oli questions
CPN (UML) Chairman Oli has met with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ twice in the gap of two days.
After the alliance formed on January 25 broke up, Oli communicated with Prachanda only in a group meeting initiated by Speaker Devraj Ghimire.
But after the top UML leader was also implicated in the case of fake refugees, Oli met with Prachanda twice in two days. In the meeting with Prachanda on Thursday and Saturday, Oli objected stating that action was not taken against the leaders of the ruling party involved in this case.
He said that he had heard that the top leadership of the Congress had been involved in the fake refugee case and had also sent a message to the Prime Minister that it would not be good if he proceeded with political revenge.
Oli also expressed his views on this at the parliamentary party meeting today (Sunday). He stated that he is not in favor of protecting anyone involved in the fake refugee case, but mentioned that he will counter if the government wants to engage in ego politics.
During his address to the parliamentarians, Oli said that whoever is involved in criminal acts like corruption and fraud should be prosecuted, but he mentioned that there should be no political revenge in doing so.
“Whoever is involved in corrupt activities should be prosecuted. I am not in favor of UML protecting them”, Oli said in the party meeting, “but the investigation has to be fair and impartial.”
Addressing the party meeting, Oli also said that the government is trying to give political color to the fake refugee case involving the top UML leaders.
Parliamentarians of the ruling party and the opposition wrangled over this issue in the parliament meeting on Sunday. Ruling coalition MPs accused UML of trying to protect those involved in corruption.
On the other hand, UML also questioned the government's impartial investigation.
Arzu defends
Dr Arzu, who is also a Congress MP, said that if corruption is to be investigated, the assets of all the leaders should be made public.
While speaking at the Parliament meeting Sunday, she said that the issue of corruption should be taken seriously.
“How serious are we about corruption? When I was not in the parliament, my name was associated with corruption here,” she said.
She complained that men do not tolerate women coming into public life on their own. "If a woman comes to public life on her own strength, men will not tolerate it," she said, "I have not committed any wrongdoing. Hence, I am not afraid."
Rana stated that her husband Sher Bahadur Deuba has been the prime minister for 5 to 6 times and mentioned that she is ready to make the property details public.
What does Balkrishna say?
After his name was linked in the fake refugee fraud case, Khand defended himself by issuing a public statement on Saturday.
He defended himself when the audio of his wife Manju receiving 60 million rupees in the case of making fake refugees and sending them abroad went viral on social networking sites.
