Calls grow to sack Minister Gupta, but PM Oli silent

Janata Samajbadi Party chief Upendra Yadav pushes for deputy premiership as Cabinet reshuffle talks intensify.

Amid growing calls for his resignation over a bribery scandal, Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration Rajkumar Gupta, a CPN-UML leader, attended the Cabinet meeting on Monday evening. Gupta's name surfaced in a leaked audio allegedly linking him to bribery discussions involving appointments in Kaski district. He allegedly sought Rs7.8 million for a political appointment, and the transfer of a civil servant in Kaski district. The audio release has triggered major political backlash against Gupta, but he has not been able to defend himself.