KATHMANDU: Finance Minister Janardan Sharma resigned on Wednesday.

He announced his resignation in the meeting of the House of Representatives. Sharma said he resigned as the minister in his bid to ease investigations by a probe committee.

Taking special time in the meeting, the outgoing minister pointed out prejudices against himself as a minister and claimed that he did not do any ‘unauthorized’ activity. He also demanded that the probe committee investigates the matter.

Maintaining that a conspiracy against him was set up, he dismissed any misleading reports against him. On CCTV footages related allegations, he said he did not know and was not aware about the capacity of CCTV cameras installed in the Ministry of Finance.

He claimed to have stopped the smuggling of betel nuts, beans and peppers and slightly changed taxes on electric vehicles. Taxes on sanitary pads were discounted based on popular demand.

Claiming that in the past, there were changes in taxes benefiting a handful people, he maintained that he might have faced a protest for his efforts to develop a self-reliant economy.