Deuba returns home defiant amid legal and political pressure

KATHMANDU, Aug 13: Former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba returned to Nepal on Thursday after nearly six months abroad for medical treatment, receiving a grand welcome from supporters even as he faces a money laundering probe and an uncertain political future.

Deuba arrived at Tribhuvan International Airport at around 12:30 pm and was greeted by hundreds of supporters with traditional music and cultural performances. Supporters of the faction opposed to the current party establishment had gathered at open spaces near the airport gate and in front of Tilganga Eye Hospital ahead of his arrival.

The welcome came a day before a three-day national gathering of the faction, which Deuba is scheduled to attend at Miracle Party Palace in Sukedhara from Friday. A team of senior Nepali Congress leaders led by Dr Shashank Koirala, coordinator of the gathering’s organizing committee, also reached the airport to welcome him.

Deuba, 80, left Nepal for Singapore on February 26 after sustaining injuries during the Gen-Z protests and later traveled to Hong Kong for further medical treatment. He had been abroad for more than five months.

His return comes amid legal pressure over a money laundering investigation. Authorities issued an arrest warrant against Deuba in April in connection with the case, which is being handled by the Department of Money Laundering Investigation. A warrant has also been issued against his wife, former foreign minister Arzu Rana Deuba. Deuba has denied the allegations.

Nepal Police spokesman Abi Narayan Kafle said security was provided to Deuba at the airport and at his rally because of his status as a former prime minister, while any decision regarding his arrest would be handled by the Department of Money Laundering Investigation.

If King Gyanendra couldn’t corner me, can anyone else?

Speaking to party leaders and cadres at his Chundevi residence after his arrival, Deuba said he was not afraid of appearing before the court or facing further investigations.

“King Gyanendra couldn’t do anything to me when I didn’t suit him, so can anyone else do it here?” Deuba said, adding that no one could overturn Nepal’s democracy and republican system.

He claimed that his five-decade political career had not been tainted by corruption and said repeated investigations in the past had failed to establish wrongdoing against him. “I have worked for 50 years, and not a single rupee has been misappropriated anywhere,” he said.

Deuba also sought to frame his return in terms broader than his political career. In a message issued after arriving in Nepal, he said he had returned not to seek power but to strengthen national unity.

“I have returned not as a leader, but as a lifelong citizen of this great nation,” Deuba said in a separate appeal, calling for national unity, reconciliation and political transformation.

He urged political parties and citizens to move beyond political vengeance and work in the national interest. Referring to last September’s Gen-Z movement, Deuba said the Nepali Congress had taken seriously the frustrations and demands expressed by young people.

“The world has changed, and we too must move forward with the times,” he said, while cautioning against viewing Nepal’s democratic history and achievements only negatively.

Deuba acknowledged weaknesses within the Nepali Congress and said the party was prepared to work with the younger generation to bring about necessary changes. He also urged the government to remain mindful of its responsibilities and avoid political prejudice and retaliation.

“A government that has received a fresh mandate from the people must fulfill their aspirations. If it fails to do so, the people are the ultimate arbiters in a democracy,” he said.

He said the Nepali Congress would not blindly enter a race for power but would support the management of political change through prudence, transparency and justice. He also called for greater unity within the party, saying internal disagreements and frustrations should be turned into collective efforts in the broader interest of the people.

Deuba said he had no personal political ambitions and was ready to pass his political experience on to the younger generation. Recalling BP Koirala’s return to Nepal in 2033 BS with a message of national unity and reconciliation, he said Nepal once again needed cooperation among political forces.

“Let us choose the path of reconciliation, not revenge,” Deuba said.

Gagan Thapa welcomes Deuba back home, wishes him good health

Meanwhile, Nepali Congress President Gagan Kumar Thapa welcomed Deuba’s return at the party’s Central Working Committee meeting at its Sanepa office on Thursday.

“Welcome to Nepal to former president Sher Bahadur Deuba. I wish him good health,” Thapa said at the start of the meeting, which has been underway since Sunday.

The contrast between the official party welcome and the elaborate mobilization by Deuba’s rival faction underscored the continuing divisions within the Nepali Congress as the veteran leader returned to Nepal amid both renewed political activity and legal uncertainty.