KATHMANDU: A parliamentary subcommittee formed to investigate alleged corruption in the construction of Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa has stirred controversy right from its inception.
The dispute arose after the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives appointed Nepali Congress proportional representative MP Manju Khand — who is herself under investigation by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) — as the coordinator of the subcommittee.
Khand’s appointment was made official during Sunday’s committee meeting. However, dissatisfaction emerged immediately, with multiple lawmakers objecting to her leadership due to her past associations with corruption allegations, including the fake Bhutanese refugee scam.
Notably absent from the meeting were CPN-UML Secretary Yogesh Bhattarai, Rastriya Swatantra Party MP Manish Jha, and independent lawmaker Dr. Amresh Kumar Singh — all of whom had been proposed as members of the subcommittee. Despite their absence, the committee went ahead and included their names as members.
Besides Khand, the subcommittee includes UML’s Bhattarai, Saraj Ahmad Farooqui, Achyut Prasad Mainali, and Nepali Congress Chief Whip Shyam Kumar Ghimire. It also lists Jha, Rastriya Prajatantra Party’s Bikram Pandey, and Singh as members.
Lawmakers refuse to join under Khand’s leadership
Yogesh Bhattarai and Dr. Amresh Singh have publicly stated they will not serve on the subcommittee due to Khand’s appointment. Bhattarai reiterated that he had already declined the role of coordinator, and by extension, will not participate as a member either.
Previously, Bhattarai had been proposed as coordinator by Public Accounts Committee Chair Rishikesh Pokharel, a UML MP. After Bhattarai refused, Khand was appointed with the backing of Chief Whip Ghimire. A meeting held on May 10 led to consensus on nominating Khand as coordinator — a move that prompted Bhattarai to declare his complete withdrawal.
Dr. Singh also announced his decision not to join the subcommittee, citing time constraints due to constituency obligations. However, sources close to him suggest he was displeased with Khand’s appointment and had been informed of it beforehand, prompting him to skip Sunday’s meeting. He further refused to sign the meeting’s minutes.
Sources say Singh has expressed that entrusting someone under corruption investigation to lead a probe into corruption is a contradiction and a disservice to the mandate given by the people.
RSP’s Jha questions motive behind the probe
Rastriya Swatantra Party MP Manish Jha stated that he had prior knowledge of a “setting” being made in the name of an investigation. According to Jha, the decision to make Khand coordinator was taken on May 10 under the initiative of Congress Chief Whip Ghimire.
Jha said he would attend the subcommittee’s first meeting to voice his concerns and decide his further involvement based on how Congress and UML behave. If the doubts he and others share are addressed, he said he might participate — but if political interference persists, he would reconsider.
The parliamentary subcommittee was formed after reports of irregularities in the construction of the Bhairahawa airport, a national pride project. A separate subcommittee, led by Rastriya Prajatantra Party Chair Rajendra Lingden, has already submitted a report on corruption at Pokhara International Airport, estimating misappropriation of Rs 10 billion and recommending action against those involved.
The cost of Bhairahawa Airport ballooned from an initial estimate of Rs 6.22 billion to Rs 8.82 billion by completion. Allegations include the distribution of Rs 23 billion in compensation to 2,200 households, which is suspected to have involved embezzlement.
Khand’s controversial past
Manju Khand is the wife of Nepali Congress leader Bal Krishna Khand, who was jailed in connection with the fake Bhutanese refugee scam and later released. Both were subjects of investigation by the CIAA. During the scandal, Manju Khand reportedly remained absent from Parliament for an extended period.
A leaked audio recording from the refugee scam suggested Manju Khand may have received Rs 60 million from one of the victims — a claim that added fuel to the existing suspicions surrounding her political and financial integrity.
As the subcommittee’s first meeting nears, tensions remain high, and questions about transparency and political interference continue to dominate public discourse.
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