KATHMANDU: The main opposition party, the Nepali Congress (NC), has said a government minister siding with a landlady detained on the charge of caste discrimination has raised serious questions about the role of the state.

Education Minister Krishna Gopal Shrestha had reached the police station to receive Saraswati Pradhan of Babarmahal, Kathmandu, upon her release a few days ago. Pradhan was arrested after Rupa Sunar, a Dalit, filed a case against her, stating the landlady denied to rent Sunar a room because of her caste.

In a statement issued Friday, NC Spokesperson Bishwa Prakash Sharma said ethical and legal questions also surfaced after the minister sent a message of partisanship in Sunar and Pradhan’s case. He said that the government side showed neither caution nor seriousness to handle the conflict so as to stop it from escalating.

“The question is what kind of society, what kind of culture and what kind of justice system we want to establish. Do we want cheap politics or a government system that addresses and diagnoses issues responsibly,” the statement read.

Stating that due to existing discrimination in the society incidents of humiliation, contempt and murder were occurring in the country, Sharma said the country is looking for meaningful coordination of the government and parental role for a society free from discrimination.