Kathmandu, Sept 6: Kathmandu Metropolitan Mayor Balen Shah personally welcomed President Ram Chandra Paudel at Basantapur during the Indra Jatra festival. But he was absent when Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli arrived.
As the organizer, the mayor and deputy mayor traditionally welcome dignitaries including the president and prime minister. This time, Shah escorted the president to the stage but skipped greeting the prime minister.
Observers link his absence to ongoing disputes with Oli. Shah had earlier demanded the federal government transfer Chief Administrative Officer Saroj Guragai, citing incompetence, but accused Oli of blocking the move. Last year, he skipped the festival entirely, traveling to India instead, also due to tensions with Oli.
This year, Guragai welcomed the prime minister on behalf of the city. Despite his dispute with Oli, Shah did attend the festival after being absent last year. Indra Jatra is celebrated annually in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Dhulikhel, and Dolakha. People’s News Monitoring Service
Kathmandu, Sept 6: Kathmandu Metropolitan Mayor Balen Shah personally welcomed President Ram Chandra Paudel at Basantapur during the Indra Jatra festival. But he was absent when Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli arrived.
As the organizer, the mayor and deputy mayor traditionally welcome dignitaries including the president and prime minister. This time, Shah escorted the president to the stage but skipped greeting the prime minister.
Observers link his absence to ongoing disputes with Oli. Shah had earlier demanded the federal government transfer Chief Administrative Officer Saroj Guragai, citing incompetence, but accused Oli of blocking the move. Last year, he skipped the festival entirely, traveling to India instead, also due to tensions with Oli.
This year, Guragai welcomed the prime minister on behalf of the city. Despite his dispute with Oli, Shah did attend the festival after being absent last year. Indra Jatra is celebrated annually in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Dhulikhel, and Dolakha. People’s News Monitoring Service
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