Gagan, Shekhar oppose decision to dole out funds to disqualified combatants

KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress (NC) General Secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa has voiced his objection to the government’s recent decision to distribute funds from the state coffers to disqualified Maoist combatants.

“The government’s decision to allocate money from the state coffers to combatants at a time when the treasury is under pressure is wrong. It should be stopped,” Thapa said in a tweet post on Thursday.

A few days ago, the cabinet approved a proposal to provide Rs 200,000 to each disqualified combatant.

Stating that the transitional justice bill is still stuck in parliament, Thapa said the government should focus on enacting victim-friendly laws and completing the remaining tasks of transitional justice.

Similarly, NC leader Dr Shekhar Koirala has also criticized the decision, stating that providing funds to disqualified Maoist combatants from state coffers when the government is struggling to pay its employees’ salaries is unacceptable. In a tweet post, Koirala called for all individuals to protest such activities of the Maoist-led government.

It remains to be seen whether the Nepali Congress, the largest party in the coalition government, will formally oppose the decision.