Nepal’s ruling Maoists were accused of corruption yesterday after it was revealed they had granted the son of their leader US$250,000 to climb Mount Everest.
Opposition activists burned effigies of Nepalese Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and warned they would stage “massive” protests across the impoverished Himalayan nation if the government did not withdraw the cash offer.
Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s son Prakash has been quoted as saying his team is taking up the challenge “for the sake of the country, the people and peace and constitution,” sparking widespread derision.
“This is the worst kind of immoral decision taken by this government. There cannot be any financial irregularities greater than this,” said Ramesh Lhekhak, leader of the opposition Nepali Congress, accusing the Maoists of “nepotism.”
“Many common people are forced to live in poverty due to poor economic conditions, but the government ignores them and wastes money in an unmeaning initiative like this,” Lhekhak said.
Dahal senior, who goes by the nom de guerre Prachanda, has been accused of pressuring Bhattarai to release the funds to the 11-man expedition team, which sets off later this month.
“How could the government’s decision to empty the state coffers for these new princelings help achieve peace and constitution? This is an example of institutional corruption,” National Students’ Union coordinator Ranjit Karna was quoted as saying by the Kathmandu Post.
Prachanda, who led a 10-year “people’s war” against Nepal’s royal family and political elites, which left 16,000 people dead, came under fire in January after it was revealed he had moved into a lavish mansion in Kathmandu.
His son was expected to give a press conference on the grant later yesterday.
“This is not the first time the government provided such financial support to those aiming to scale the world’s highest peak,” Bhattarai’s spokesman Ramrijan Yadav said. “The money is not provided just because there is the son of the party chairman, it is provided to a team.”
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