Belbase's Labour portfolio given to Bogati

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai today assigned Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Posta Bahadur Bogati to look after the portfolio of the Ministry of Labour and Employment after Minister Kumar Belbase resigned from the post as per the Interim Constitution of Nepal yesterday.

The Labour and Employment portfolio fell vacant after Kumar Belbase who held the portfolio resigned yesterday after he was accused of demanding bribe from some manpower companies.

The PM had asked Belbase to resign and prove his innocence. Belbase who is a politburo member of the C P Mainali-led CPN-ML could not be contacted.

Mainali said the alternative central committee member of his party Bhashkar Kafle’s conversation in the recently surfaced videotape with manpower agents was ‘objectionable and immoral. Kafle has been suspended from the committee.

He said the party has instituted an investigation team which will submit its report within two weeks regarding the charge against Kafle and Belbase.

Mainali said the party did not decide to recall Belbase or take any disciplinary action against him at this stage because the preliminary investigation did not find him doing anything against established rules. “But if Belbase is found guilty of any wrongdoing, action will be taken against him,” he clarified.

Mainali said he has conveyed the Prime Minister’s displeasure to Belbase and asked the latter to take a step that would be politically and morally right in the face of accusation.

“It appears that Belbase did not demand bribe. He told the manpower agents that the government was positive about opening registration for new companies,” Mainali said.