Kathmandu, April 23

Bishwadeep Pandey, a central committee member of Samajwadi Party-Nepal that forged unity with the Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal last night, has alleged that his party lawmaker Surendra Kumar Yadav was abducted yesterday and tormented by the administration. He tweeted that Yadav was kept at Marriott Hotel and alleged that the prime minister was behind the incident. However, the PM’s press adviser refuted the allegation against the PM.

Nepal Communist Party (NCP) lawmaker Mahesh Basnet told THT that he and another NCP lawmaker Kishan Shrestha met former inspector general of police Sarvendra Khanal in Jagati, Bhaktapur, yesterday when they were going to Kavre to facilitate the movement of stranded people when he received a call from SP-N lawmaker Uma Shankar Argariya. Basnet said they then drove to Janakpur to meet Argariya. He said his team met Argariya in Janakpur and they had dinner with another SP-N lawmaker Surendra Kumar Yadav. “After having dinner, we left for Kathmandu leaving Yadav behind. But when we reached Bardibas, I received a call from Yadav, who said he too wanted to come to Kathmandu,” claimed Basnet.

Basnet said they went back, brought Yadav to Kathmandu and dropped him at Marriot Hotel.

“I just wanted to help Yadav as he is a fellow lawmaker. Some people are wrongly dragging the prime minister into this controversy. Yadav and his family have clarified that Yadav went to Kathmandu on his own volition,” he said.

SP-N leader Baburam Bhattarai has demanded investigation into the alleged abduction of Yadav. Former IGP Khanal also said he joined Basnet yesterday to meet Yadav, who is an old friend. “We just wanted to help Yadav to come to Kathmandu. We ate snacks on the way to Kathmandu.

“Yadav and his family have said it was not a case of abduction. How can this be abduction when he himself urged us to take him to Kathmandu during the lockdown?” he said.

Prime Minister’s Press Adviser Surya Thapa said Pandey’s malicious tweet against the PM did not even merit a response. Pandey said the PM had every right to meet and discuss issues with any lawmaker and there was nothing wrong in it. Thapa said Yadav himself clarified that he had not met the PM. Yadav could not be contacted for comments.