KATHMANDU: A video clip featuring CPN-UML Secretary Yogesh Bhattarai has gone viral on social media platforms, particularly TikTok, in which he appears to make a controversial statement about alleged corruption involving finance ministers.
The video has sparked political chatter, especially among supporters of the Rastriya Swatantra Party and CPN (Maoist Centre), who have been actively sharing the content online.
In the clip, Bhattarai, a former Tourism Minister, can be heard saying that finance ministers in the past allegedly demanded a 10% commission in advance before allocating budget funds.
While he does not name anyone directly, many interpreted the remarks as a jab at current Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel, leading to speculation about rifts within the ruling party.
However, it has now been clarified that the video is not recent and was not made in reference to the federal government or Minister Paudel.
The clip is actually extracted from a lengthy interview aired on Himalaya Television on July 17, 2024. At the time, Bhattarai was serving as the UML’s Province In-Charge for Madhesh Province and was commenting on the governance issues of the then Madhesh Province government, not the federal administration.
In the full interview, Bhattarai criticized long-standing malpractices and corruption in provincial budget allocations, citing a trend where finance ministers allegedly demanded 10% commission before and after budget approvals.
He highlighted that his remarks were not aimed at any individual but rather addressed a systemic problem and “unhealthy practices” that had taken root in Madhesh Province.
He also noted that his party, UML, which had recently joined a new coalition government with support from the Nepali Congress under K.P. Sharma Oli’s leadership, was trying to reform these practices. He specifically highlighted the need to end the culture of advance payments and commissions, which had become normalized in budget processes at the provincial level.
In a statement to Khabarhub, Bhattarai condemned the selective editing and viral spread of the old clip, calling it an act of intentional misrepresentation and cyber manipulation.
“Linking a year-old remark about a provincial government to the current federal Finance Minister is misleading and malicious,” he said, adding, “This kind of disinformation campaign is a form of cybercrime.”
The full interview, lasting over an hour, included detailed observations about financial irregularities, corruption in development projects, and the need for transparency.
The controversial remarks begin around minute 36:24 in the original recording, where Bhattarai outlines how the practice of demanding 10% commission had become widespread and even institutionalized in some parts of the province.
He also shared anecdotes from local UML representatives, who allegedly had to comply with such demands to secure development projects. Bhattarai described the corruption as “open and organized” and expressed hope that the then-new Chief Minister from the Janamat Party, along with UML’s presence in government, would help curb these trends.
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