Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) has accused not only Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Rabi Lamichhane, but also his party colleague Minister for Labor, Employment and Social Security, DP Aryal, of being involved in a cooperative fraud case.
Lamichhane is the President of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), while Aryal serves as the Vice President.
Speaking in the House of Representatives meeting on Tuesday, NC lawmaker Ram Krishna Yadav said depositors of Hamro Naya Krishi Cooperatives are yet to receive more than Rs 40 million in deposits parked when Aryal was the vice president of the cooperative. “RSP Joint General Secretary Kabindra Burlakoti was also on the board of the cooperative at that time,” Yadav said.
He said Aryal allegedly involved GB Rai, the president of Gorkha Media Network, in the cooperative’s operations.
Rai has been accused of embezzling billions of rupees in deposits from the general public in various cooperatives. Rai is on the run.
“There is a need for a fair investigation into this matter. Let’s form a parliamentary committee to study all these issues,” Yadav urged.
He added that the NC will not abandon this agenda unless an independent probe is launched into Lamichhane’s role in cooperative fraud.
