KATHMANDU, July 20: The Central Working Committee (CWC) members of the Nepali Congress (NC) have demanded the suspension of former Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand as the party's CWC member.

On the third day of the ongoing CWC meeting on Thursday, CWC member Ajay Babu Siwakoti demanded Khand's suspension. Siwakoti stated that the NC should either quit the government or suspend Khand as a CWC member of the party. He said, "Currently, the NC is the main party in the coalition government. During this government, our senior CWC member Bal Krishna Khand has been detained pending trial on separate charges. If injustice has been done to Khand, the NC should withdraw from the government. If not, Khand should be suspended from the party."

Khand was arrested on May 10 on charges of being involved in making Nepalis fake Bhutanese refugees and sending them to the US. CPN-UML has already suspended Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, who was arrested in the case of the Bhutanese refugee scam, from the post of secretary.

However, there is no agenda in the NC CWC meeting to take action against Khand. According to the order of the Kathmandu District Court, Khand has been in pre-trial detention since June 16.

NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba has been claiming that Khand is innocent in the Bhutanese refugee scam case. Before Khand was taken into detention, a delegation of his close leaders went to visit President Deuba at his residence.

Their demand was to release Khand from custody immediately. In the same meeting, Deuba told those leaders that Khand is not a person who can be bought for money, stating, "I know him well. No evidence has been found against him."

NC Spokesperson Prakash Sharan Mahat, who is also the finance minister, held a press conference on May 16 and said that the party did not suspend Khand because he had said that he would prove himself innocent. CWC members, including Radha Ghale, Lakshmi Khatiwada, and others, defended Khand in the CWC meeting on Wednesday. They also raised questions about some NC leaders who went to meet Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha when Khand was arrested.

Central member Siwakoti said that the CWC should be clear on this matter in front of President Deuba. "In this, the guilty should be imprisoned, or our ministers in the government should have shown bias. President Deuba should make it clear," he said, "In this meeting, President Deuba should decide whom to choose between the government and friends."

 
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