Deputy Speaker’s indiscretion

Someone in Rana Magar’s position cannot make such ‘innocent’ mistakes.

The accusations of abuse of authority and accepting kickbacks that have been levelled against Deputy Speaker of the federal parliament Indira Rana Magar are not easy to dismiss. Rana Magar recently came into controversy after a letter she wrote to the American Embassy in Kathmandu, urging the embassy to expedite visa dates for some people, came to light. In the letter dated 26 February 2023, she has asked the consular general at the embassy to arrange visa dates for six people, including herself. The other five are Dipendra Gautam, Sushma Lama, Rajesh Lama Tamang, Sujan Magar and Dhan Prasad Gurung. The communication was made on the official letterhead of the House of Representatives. The letter says the six were attending the 67th session of Commission on the Status of Women that was being held in New York from March 6 to 17, 2023, and she wanted the interview dates to be preponed. In normal course, the Parliament Secretariat makes such requests on behalf of the speaker and deputy speaker via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. What is even more unusual is that Rana Magar admits that she knew only one of the other five people mentioned in the letter.