KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress (NC) leader Dr. Shekhar Koirala has reached Singapore at a time when the party is engaged in intra-party row concerning the government’s performance, among other issues.
Even though Koirala’s Singapore visit has not been hyped, sources claimed that he flew to Singapore for the treatment of his eyes.
Koirala, who left for Singapore on Tuesday evening, is likely to stay there for four days. However, other details have not been disclosed.
The NC party has been entangled in a row at a time when Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachand has not been able to give a full shape to the Cabinet.
On the other hand, NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba and Koirala are currently at loggerheads on the issue of cabinet expansion.
Koirala has been insisting that leaders from his faction should be sent to the Cabinet while NC President Deuba is in a “wait and watch” strategy.
In addition, sources claim that the international community has become enraged with Deuba giving the permission to the Nepali Army to procure weaponry from China.
It should be noted that NC leader Purna Bahadur Khadka is currently the Minister of Defense.
Deuba, meanwhile, has told the international community that he did not give his consent to the Nepali Army to purchase weapons from China.
Sources claimed that Deuba told them that the NA initiated the process to purchase weapons to be used in Lebanon and other countries for the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission.
However, the international community not assured with Deuba’s assurances.
On the other hand, the date of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s visit to India has become uncertain due to the NA’s plan to procure weaponry worth RS 6 billion from China.
According to the source, Prime Minister Dahal raised concern about the procurement process with Army Chief Prabhuram Sharma.
However, Sharma told PM Dahal that the weapons were meant to be used for the United Nations mission.
Lokendra Karki, the brother of Nepali Congress leader Gyanendra Bahadur Karki, is the Nepali agent of Chinese arms that was supposed to be procured from China for the peacekeeping mission.
The Chinese company Norinco entrusted Lokendra Karki as its Nepal agent to procure arms.
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