KATHMANDU: CPN-UML General Secretary Shankar Pokhrel has raised questions over who incited the burning of Singha Durbar, indirectly pointing towards Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balen Shah.
In a Facebook post, Pokhrel stated that it was an UML-led government that took responsibility for reconstructing Singha Durbar in its original form after it was severely damaged by the earthquake. He then questioned who made statements inciting it to be burned and who actually carried out the act.
“Now let us ask: who reconstructed Singha Durbar in its original form after it was badly damaged by the earthquake, and who incited and carried out its burning?” Pokhrel wrote.
His remarks are seen as linked to an incident a few months ago when Mayor Balen Shah reportedly threatened to burn Singha Durbar after traffic police stopped a government vehicle carrying his wife on a public holiday. Referring to that episode, Pokhrel recalled the subsequent Gen-Z movement, during which Singha Durbar was set on fire, and raised the issue of accountability.
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