KATHMANDU, Nov 14: The life of politician Lal Babu Pandit, well-liked for his achievements and tough stance on issues of national importance during his stint as a minister, has been turned into a book. His life story ‘Singhadurbar Badalne Sangharsha’ – ‘Struggle to Change Singhadurbar’ published by Publication Nepa-laya is now available in bookstores. 

According to the press statement released by Nepal-laya, Lal Babu, a CPN UML leader, has been associated with the party since its inception. But his first appointment as a minister came into being only a few years back and was popular for mainly two reasons. First – for the government’s announcement that caught the public eye. During his tenure as a minister, the government decided to forbid Nepali government officials to hold important positions of the state, who were in possession of Permanent Residence Status and Green Card of other countries. 

This move affected many senior civil servants, who had acquired a permanent residency of the US through Diversity Visa lottery process. At that time, many employees abandoned their dual citizenship, while some left their government job to settle abroad. This created a huge debate in the public domain. The general administration minister, who is usually not in the news, became hugely popular due to immense public interest in the action taken by his ministry. 

This not only made Lal Babu a house hold name, but also the most talked about minister in the cabinet at the time. There was another reason that propelled Lal Babu to be an important figure of Nepal’s modern transitional history. 

Lal Babu’s uncompromising attitude on issues of national importance was a result of his long standing political career. The story of his involvement with the underground political movement alongside CPN UML’s popular leader late Madan Bhandari and his life as a student and a family man covers interesting facts. Above all, his ordinary lifestyle is compelling. 

Lal babu’s book tells the story of a man, who used his political career to change the very character of the power he possessed. The book starts with, him receiving a call from the Party Chairman informing him on being nominated for a ministerial post, while he was commuting in a public bus in Kathmandu’s Ringroad, and ends with him leaving the government quarters back to his rented apartment. Lal Babu Pandit’s auto-biography named is priced at Rs 325.