Kathmandu, October 23
Protests against the appointment of Ani Choying Drolma as vice-chairperson of the Lumbini Development Trust have continued, with local groups demanding that the government revoke its decision.
The Lumbini Bachau Mahaabhiyan has scheduled a protest at Parsachowk in Lumbini at 1 pm today, coordinator Akram Khan said. He added that phased protests would continue until the appointment is cancelled.
Several organisations have questioned Drolma’s citizenship and the legitimacy of her financial assets, calling for her appointment to be revoked.
The Lumbini Bachau Mahaabhiyan was the first to announce protest programmes against her appointment. The Kapilvastu–Tilaurakot Struggle Committee has also expressed dissatisfaction and urged the government to reconsider its decision.
Rajkumar Yadav of the struggle committee said the appointment had hurt the sentiments, aspirations and dignity of local residents across the Greater Lumbini region.
The committee has also raised questions about a sum of US$1.649 million, equivalent to approximately Rs 1.831 billion, reportedly transferred from Hong Kong to Drolma’s bank account in 2019. It said Nepal Rastra Bank and the Department of Money Laundering Investigation had frozen her account and initiated an investigation after the source of the funds was questioned. The committee expressed concern that political influence and pressure could undermine the investigation.
The committee has further cited Drolma’s autobiography, Phoolko Aankhama, claiming that it raises questions about her citizenship by descent. It alleged that, although her parents came to Nepal as Tibetan refugees, questions have been raised over whether she obtained citizenship using allegedly falsified details about her father. These remain allegations raised by opponents of her appointment.
Yadav criticised the government for appointing a controversial figure to lead an institution central to Buddhist faith worldwide and Nepal’s international religious identity. He also alleged that the appointment was made without adequate attention to transparency, good governance and the institution’s reputation, claiming Drolma had not even applied for the position.
Former minister Chandra Kesh Gupta, a resident of Lumbini, said the questions surrounding Drolma’s citizenship and the reported transfer of a large sum of money from abroad had made her appointment unacceptable to local residents.
Gupta warned that protests would intensify if the government did not revoke the appointment, adding that protesters would oppose her presence in Lumbini.
Senior advocate Dinesh Tripathi, also a Lumbini resident, described the appointment as problematic from the perspectives of good governance, public ethics and the law. He questioned how Drolma could hold citizenship by descent if, as he claimed, she had acknowledged that her parents were foreign nationals. Tripathi argued that the questions surrounding her nationality should have been resolved before the appointment.
The post Protests continue in Lumbini against Ani Choying Drolma’s appointment appeared first on OnlineKhabar English News.