Kathmandu: Nepali Congress general secretary Gagan Thapa lashed out at his erstwhile comrade and intellectual Dr Swarim Waglé at his address in Tanahun-1 on Monday.
Swarnim Waglé, Nepal’s eminent economist and intellectual who was with Nepali Congress, severed his ties with the party and took the decision to join Rastriya Swatantra Party and contest by-elections from Tanahun-1 on Saturday.
Waglé is learned to have quit Nepali Congress after being subjected to constant humiliation and insults at the hands of party president Sher Bahadur Deuba and leader Arzu Deuba, who is alleged to be running a corruption racket inside the party.
Gagan Thapa and Swarnim Waglé were comrades in arms while in Nepali Congress. Waglé played an instrumental role in the election campaigns to help Gagan win the 2017 federal parliament election. Wagle had projected Thapa as the future prime minister of Nepal.
On Monday, the same Thapa did not only criticize Waglé but also accused him of returning to the country after earning a lot of money and pension.
“You went abroad, you had a job, you earned a pension while I was here in Nepal bearing the stones on my chest fighting for democracy,” Thapa said.
He also urged the voters of Tanahu not to vote for a tourist candidate.
Meanwhile, another general secretary of Nepali Congress Bishwa Prakash Sharma also maintained the same tone. He expressed his dissatisfaction over Waglé’s move to quit the party at his address in Chitwan.
Stating that Waglé was provided an opportunity by party president Sher Bahadur Deuba in the past, Sharma dubbed the question raised by Waglé against Nepali Congress as uncivil.
After Waglé, who worked with the prestigious national and international institutions such as the National Planning Commission, the United Nations and, World Bank, quit Congress citing serious reservations with the party leadership, particularly Sher Bahadur Deuba and Arzu Deuba, many of the Congress cadres have been launching vitriol against Wagle.
General people, however, seem to have encouraged and supported Waglé on social media. Many have called Waglé’s decision to quit Nepali Congress wise and just.
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