The Nepal Weekly 
May 27, 2025
Ruling Nepali Congress Party has given clean chit to Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak on the visit visa scam. The party’s high level meeting concluded that Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak has no obligation to quit from his post in the visit visa scam. An office-bearers’ meeting of the party held in Budhanilkantha on Monday morning took a decision to this effect at a time when voices are being raised from outside the party as well as within asking Home Minister Lekhak to resign over his alleged involvement in the visit visa scam.
Following the meeting, an office-bearer said, “The allegation leveled against the Home Minister was the result of conspiracy not only against minister Lekhak but also against the largest democratic party as well, a senior leader of the party said. “Home Minister Lekhak is not compelled to tender his resignation only on the basis of the accusation.”
“The office-bearers’ meeting decided in favor of Home Minister Lekhak stating that the latter should not need to tender his resignation on the basis of accusation,” a leader present at the meeting told The Nepal Weekly. Although, Lekhak had offered to tender his resignation, the party asked him not to quit the post, according to the leader.
It is not necessary for the Home Minister to resign over embezzlements committed by the staff within his ministry, said the party.
After raiding the Immigration’s Office at the Tribhuvan International Airport on the basis of a tip off, the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had initiated an investigation into the visit visa scam taking into custody some government staff including chief of Airport Immigration Tirtha Raj Bhattarai.
However, CPN-Unified Maoist and the Rastriya Swotantra Party have asked Home Minister to resign from the post citing his alleged involvement in the scam involving billions of rupees.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Lekhak is set to present his clarification in Monday’s Parliament session regarding the allegation.
