Gagan Thapa puts five questions to government, demands fair probe into middleman scandal

Nepali Congress President Gagan Kumar Thapa has expressed dissatisfaction with the working style of the Balen Shah-led RSP government and demanded results on five questions. He raised the demand while speaking under the "Opposition Watch" programme at the party's central office in Sanepa on Sunday.

President Thapa urged the government to prioritize press freedom, rule of law, fair investigation, judicial independence and economic reform. He warned that the opposition would not stay silent if the government failed to improve in these areas. He said good governance cannot be achieved while interfering with democracy, press freedom and citizens' fundamental rights.

He also demanded that the government conduct a fair investigation, getting to the depth of all cases linked to middlemen. He said what is needed on the case of journalists' arrests is results, not statements.

Thapa pointed out that the country's economy has reached an extremely difficult state, noting that foreign investment has still not come in even after the new government took office. Calling economic reform the country's biggest challenge, he stressed that the government should create an environment of trust instead of instilling fear and intimidation.