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The property details of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and other incumbent ministers has become a matter of talks of the town in recent days. As declared properties of the ministers did not match with what they used to claim themselves as the proletariat, the walls of the different social Medias have filled up with the comments and criticism, thanks to the amazing properties of the so-called proletariat ministers and leaders of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP). According to the property details, Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Raghubir Mahaseth tops the ministers’ rich list. Minister Mahaseth, who is also a senior leader of the newly formed NCP, possesses over one billion rupees including both moveable and immoveable properties. Not only the Minister Mahaseth but almost all the ministers of the incumbent government including the Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli seemed wealthier than the previous Prime Minister of those who what the communists used to label blame them as the ‘capitalist party.’ As per the property details, Prime Minister Oli has a bank balance of Rs 4.2 million in his account and 18 tolas of gold including a hose at Lokanthli of Bhaktapur. Likewise, his wife Radhika Shakya has Rs 3. 5 million deposited. Minister for General Administration Lal Babu Pandit, who had gone for a bicycle during the election campaign pretending as of a poorest leader has also a five-room house spreading in the area of one kattha of land in Biratnagar, four bighas of land in Sarlahi, four anas of land in Bhainsepati, Lalitpur, 10 tolas of gold, 15 tolals of silver and Rs 5.5 million in different bank accounts.
The exciting and astonishing fact of the property details of the ministers is that the wives of our proletariat ministers including Prime Minister Oli seem richer than their husbands. Almost all the wives of the Ministers including Ishwar Pokharel, Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, Matrika Yadav, Ram Bahadur Thapa and are also richer than the their husbands. Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Prasad Adhikari owns the highest amount of gold- 60 tolas. He has also Rs 2.5 million in bank deposits. Though he has listed as ancestral property, he has 94 ropanis as ancestral property in Kaski district and five anas in Budhanilkantha Municipality in Kathmandu. Another proletariat former Maoist leader and Minister of Industry, Commerce and Supplies Matrika Yadav also seem richer than the expectations of the people though almost all property is shown in the name his wife Pramila Devi. According to the property details, she has a plot of land worth Rs 10,500,000 in Chapagaun of Lalitpur district, two plots of land in Siraha and Dhanusha worth Rs 4.5 million,10 tola gold and a vehicle. Though some ministers have claimed to have taken loan from bank, ancestral property and others means, the criticisms are poured in the walls of the social media terming the ministers as ‘proletariat rich’ and for shifting the property on the name of their wives.
As right to property is also a fundamental right of the people, we have no trouble about the property of a person regardless of minister or their wives if the property was earned and owned genuinely. But the widely raised concern of the people is that how much wealth a political leader, who claims themselves as proletariat leader, should possess and how can he or she champion the cause of the commoners. Indeed, the concerns raised by the people are the tricky questions. Not only the critics of other parties, but also the cadres of the ruling NCP have raised a question about the property details of the ministers for the mismatch between what they sermonize the people and what they have been doing. Some have condemned the ministers for falling down in the greed for gold for the lavish life. Ironically, none of the ministers have invested their wealth in the sector that could create employment opportunities in the country as they have been parroting for the purpose even now and then. As Prime Minister Oli has vowed big things including mentioning rule of law and controlling corruption, we do expect that he would have aware to set the right example for people to follow by unveiling the sources of income of the ministers by setting a mechanism so that ministers could not hide the property on the name of their nearer and dearer.
