Rabi Lamichhane Mocks Gagan Thapa Over Cooperative Fraud Allegations Amidst Election Campaigning

Pokhara. The country is completely engrossed in elections. Leaders are busy from mass meetings to door-to-door campaigning. Political parties are addressing election rallies in various places. On Friday, the Rastriya Swatantra Party held a mass meeting in Chitwan. Addressing the rally, party chairman Rabi Lamichhane raised the issue of cooperative fraud.

He took a jibe at Nepali Congress President Gagan Thapa, stating that it has been 658 days since Thapa claimed to have evidence against him regarding the misappropriation of cooperative savings. He added that it has also been a long time since his 'last wish' was asked. Lamichhane urged voters to show their last wish through the ballot paper on Falgun 21.

'It has been 658 days since it was said there is evidence against me. Evidence is not needed now, it's settled. It has also been a long time since my last wish was asked. I say this from Chitwan: please show my last wish on Falgun 21,' he said. Coincidentally, while Lamichhane was demanding evidence from Thapa, the victims of Pokhara's Suryadarshan Cooperative submitted a memorandum to Thapa demanding the return of their savings.

During the mass meeting organized by the Nepali Congress in Pokhara, the cooperative victims met Thapa and requested him to initiate efforts for the return of their money. He demanded that the savings of honest depositors must be returned honestly. The victims urged Thapa to take initiative to solve the problems of the cooperative victims, whether he is in government or in any other role, said Shrestha.

'We are not worried about whether Congress, UML, Maoist, or RASP did something for us or not. Our biggest worry is that the person who took the money has not returned it,' said Kiran Shrestha, coordinator of the Cooperative Victims Struggle Committee. 'Some of those who embezzled cooperative funds are in jail. Some are giving speeches in the open forum, and some are moving around as leaders.'

The Kaski District Court had ordered Lamichhane to be released on bail of 6.5 million rupees in the case against him. The government attorney's office had filed a case in court demanding the recovery of the same amount, alleging that Lamichhane had misappropriated 3 crore 37 lakh 65 thousand rupees from Suryadarshan Cooperative. After receiving the memorandum, Thapa committed that he had previously stood with the victims and would always stand with them.