Does being in a relationship with a foreigner make one anti-national, Sumana questions referring Oli

KATHMANDU: Minister for Science and Technology Sumana Shrestha has questioned whether a person becomes anti-national just by having a relationship with a foreigner.

Writing a post on her social media page on Wednesday, Shrestha said: “After marriage, doesn’t one have any responsibility towards one’s birthplace? Doesn’t a woman have an identity beyond her husband’s? Does having any relationship with a foreigner make one anti-national? This is a country run by those who have been living in Nepal for generations, marrying Nepalis. Does this alone guarantee development?”

Shrestha was referring to comments that CPN-UML Chairperson and Former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli made about her a few days ago. She, however, has not named Oli in her post.

Targeting Minister Shrestha, Oli said a few days ago that a tourist came to Nepal for a few days and became a minister. “I hear she married a foreigner; where is she from? She seems to have become a minister when she came to Nepal as a tourist,” Oli told a delegation of the School Management Committee Federation in Jhapa.

Minister Shrestha wrote in the post that it is becoming difficult to find a family where no one has gone abroad for studies or employment. “They may fall in love, or tie the knot abroad. Some may realize the virtues of Nepali society only after going abroad and feel their roots are in Nepal,” Shrestha said, clarifying that many who go abroad wish to return to Nepal and live a prosperous and comfortable life if the situation permits.