Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal on Wednesday sought explanation from Defence Minister Bidhya Bhandari over her statement that her ministry and Nepal Army (NA) had no compulsion to accept any decision on Army integration taken by the Prime Minister Nepal-led Special Committee for Supervision, Integration and Rehabilitation of Maoist combatants.
Following mounting pressure from his Cabinet, the prime minister telephoned Bhandari to ask why she had made such a controversial statement. Refuting media reports, Bhandari told the prime minister, “I did not say I would not accept the committee's decision. I just tried to convey that the participation of my ministry and NA should be ensured in the special committee,”
said a minister who overheard the telephonic conversation.
