Finance Minister Clarifies Parliament Nap

Kathmandu. Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle has refuted the news and pictures that went viral about him sleeping during Monday's parliamentary session. He clarified that he was not asleep but was looking at urgent messages on his mobile.

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Finance Minister in sleep while President reads policies and programs

After pictures and videos of Finance Minister Wagle appearing to be asleep during President Ram Chandra Paudel's reading of the government's policies and programs went viral on social media, he officially stated his position on the matter on Tuesday. Speaking at a meeting of the Finance Committee in Singha Durbar on Tuesday, he commented, 'What is seen may not always be the reality.'

Clarifying at the meeting, Finance Minister Wagle said, 'Urgent messages were coming, and since it was not appropriate to look at the phone in front of the President, I was looking at messages under the table. It has become a spectacle for tens of millions that the Finance Minister fell asleep.'

He argued that one should not jump to very far-reaching conclusions based solely on what is seen. A picture of him sitting with his head bowed in the back seat during the President's presentation of policies and programs was made public, which he has clarified as him looking at messages on his phone.