KATHMANDU: Former energy, water resources and irrigation minister Deepak Khadka has questioned Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal and sections of the media for what he called false and misleading reports claiming he had fled abroad using a special government code.
Organising a press conference at his fire-damaged residence in Budhanilkantha on Friday, Khadka refuted reports suggesting he had left the country. “I am also a citizen of this country. Why would I run away?” he said. “I actually feel pity for the media that carried such baseless news.”
Khadka said no government body had issued any notice restricting his movement or initiated legal action against him. “If the government has not barred me from travelling, who is spreading this confusion?” he asked. “For whom is the government working, brokers, middlemen, or agents?”
Khadka’s residence in Budhanilkantha was set on fire during the Gen-Z protests on September 9, causing complete destruction. Protesters had vandalised and torched the house, alleging that large amounts of Nepali and foreign currency were kept inside, claims that Khadka dismissed as rumours intended to defame him.
The former minister said while he had accepted the incident as a political consequence, it had been deeply distressing for his family. “As a politician, I can face such things, but for my family, this has been a painful experience,” he said.
Khadka, a leader affiliated with the Nepali Congress, served as minister for energy, water resources and irrigation in the coalition government before the recent political upheaval and the outbreak of the Gen-Z movement.
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