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Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health and Population Upendra Yadav has said that the split of Janata Samajwadi Party Nepal will not affect the government.

"We are in favor of a stable government and we have always sought stability. We will not back down from that responsibility realized by us,” he said in an interaction organized by the Rafat Sanchar Club here today.

Stating that the JSP Nepal's support to the government continues and the government will not fall because of them, Deputy Prime Minister Yadav, who is also the chairman of Janata Samajwadi Party Nepal, said, "We will not play the game of toppling down the government. Since our party seeks political stability, good governance, development, prosperity and stability of the federal republic, it will not engage in the game of overthrowing the government."

He said that he will go to the Supreme Court for justice regarding the split of the party. The JSP Nepal Chair expressed his dissatisfaction, saying, "When I went abroad to represent the government, the party was split through a conspiracy here."

DPM Yadav said that he believed that the court would overturn the party split, stating that the party split was an unnatural, unprincipled, unethical and unconstitutional move as well.

He alleged that the name, flag and logo of the new party were the same, but the application was made the previous evening and the party was registered the next day. "It was seen that they are trying to weaken democracy and bring instability to the country by splitting the party," alleged Deputy Prime Minister Yadav.

India and Nepal on Wednesday concluded their first-ever bilateral meeting between their probe agencies tasked to combat money laundering and discussed ways to check the crime taking place through the porous border between the two neighbors. A visiting delegation of Nepal's department of money laundering investigation (DMLI), led by its Director General Pushpa Raj Shahi, attended the two-day meet with the officials from the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

"This was the first head of the agency level meeting between the two anti-money laundering agencies of India and Nepal. The meeting was aimed at developing mutual cooperation and strengthening capacity building in the areas of money laundering and asset recovery between India and Nepal," an official statement issued by the ED said. The Indian side was led by ED Director (in-charge) Rahul Navin and both the sides had officials from their respective embassies in Delhi and Kathmandu apart from the Indian external affairs ministry.

During the meeting, both sides presented an overview of their respective anti-money laundering legislations and exchanged ideas for combating the menace of money laundering, it said. Both the sides also presented case studies and discussed common modus of money laundering schemes, as per the statement.

The ED, it said, explained in detail about various tools of investigation, analytical software and forensic tools/equipment used during the money laundering investigations. "Emphasis was placed upon on the fact that money laundering is a global problem that not only threatens security, but also compromises the stability, transparency and efficiency of financial systems, thus undermining economic prosperity.

"Therefore, both the sides expressed their concern towards money laundering risks through the porous border between India and Nepal," the statement said. The two agencies also "agreed" to continue strengthening cooperation in anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism efforts, through increased information sharing and coordination, including expeditious sharing of evidence and information for money laundering and terrorism financing investigations, as and when necessary, it said.

The importance of fighting financial crimes and on the effective implementation of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards to protect abuse of financial systems was agreed upon, as per the ED. The Nepalese delegation "requested assistance" to set up forensic labs like the one ED has, and to arrange capacity building and training for DMLI officers.

ED expressed its "willingness" on this request and to strengthen agency-to-agency cooperation through informal channels in the areas of money laundering and asset recovery. "As a step closer, a draft MoU between ED and DMLI for enhancing mutual cooperation in the investigation of money laundering offenses was discussed and the same would be signed in due course after obtaining the necessary approvals from their respective competent authorities," the statement said.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that the government is committed to give an impetus to the country's economic transformation by keeping the morale of investors, including the industrialists and business community, high.

Inaugurating the Hyundai Motor Assembling Plant of Laxmi Motor Corporation in Nawalparasi today, PM Dahal stated that the country would be taken ahead on the journey of prosperity through economic development.

He said the economy would be strengthened by taking the private sector into confidence, asserting that the government is committed to facilitating the investment.

"The country's economy cannot be made robust without the investment of the private sector and the collaboration between the state and the private sector. The productivity cannot be increased and employment opportunities also cannot be created without this," PM Dahal said, adding that the government is always in support of creating a climate conducive to investment, promoting the private sector and security and facilitation in the investment areas.

Expressing the belief that the domestic and foreign investors would be attracted more towards the industry-friendly environment in Nepal with the operation of this new industry, he said import would be substituted and hundreds of skilled and semi-skilled laborers will get jobs along with industrialization.

The Prime Minister viewed that the consumers can buy vehicles at a fair price and a positive contribution would be there in consumption of domestic resource and electricity, a partnership in the local development and on the GDP as well when the motor assembling is done within the country itself.

"Our fiscal and monetary policies should be promotional, rather than restrictive. These policies and laws should contribute to the production and employment promotion," he said. The PM further said the domestic and external indicators of the economy are in the positive due to the consistent efforts of the government.

"The Third Investment Summit has concluded recently. The government has amended important Acts, bringing an ordinance on the eve of the Summit. This will play a key role in addressing the problems seen in the investment sector and also in encouraging and promoting the internal and external investment," he added.

The Prime Minister believed that the enthusiasm seen in the investment summit, the common viewpoint and commitment witnessed in the political parties of Nepal and the attraction of the investors have indicated towards Nepal soon becoming an attractive destination for investment.

The main opposition Nepali Congress said that a parliamentary probe committee to investigate cooperative fraud charges against Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane is its bottom line.

A Parliamentary Party meeting held on Friday made a conclusion that the party would not allow the House to function until the demand of forming a parliamentary probe committee to investigate Lamichhane is addressed, Congress Chief Whip Ramesh Lekhak said.

He said that the government will be held responsible if the Parliamentary meeting is obstructed.

“The bottom line of the Congress is to form a parliamentary probe committee to investigate Rabi Lamichhane. The government has been ignoring the demand of the main opposition. The government itself will be responsible if the Parliament meeting is obstructed,” he said to mediapersons after the meeting.

He said that more evidence has emerged to confirm Lamichhane’s involvement in the cooperative fraud case.

The Congress said that the government mechanism has been misused to protect Lamichhane.