Kathmandu, August 22: Amid reports that she skipped the India tour of Premier Madhav Kumar Nepal because he refused to promote her as Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala has insisted that she cancelled the visit as she was unwell and said she would furnish a written reply to her party on the issue tomorrow.
Her statement came after her Nepali Congress party’s Parliamentary committee asked her to explain the reason behind cancellation of her visit to India as part of the Prime Minister’s 64-member delegation.
“As I am still suffering from soar throat, I would send a written reply rather than being physically present for that (before the parliamentary body of the party)” when its office opens tomorrow, she told reporters here yesterday.
Koirala said she could not accompany Premier Nepal to his ongoing five-day India visit as she was “actually suffering from headache, fever and soar throat.”
The local media unnecessarily created a big issue out of that, she said.
“The news reports have done one thing good for me as I was not aware that I could stake claim for the post of the Deputy Prime Minister because my party is the largest coalition partner (in the CPN-UML-led dispensation),” she said.
—PTI