JEN-G United has demanded the dismissal of Nepal Rastra Bank Governor Dr. Bishwanath Poudel. On Sunday, the party’s representative team met Finance Minister Rameshwar Khanal at Sihandabar and formally submitted the request for the governor’s removal.
According to JEN-G United Chair Janak Pariyar, Dr. Poudel lacks the required qualifications and expertise for the position. They claim that his educational certificates, work experience, and subject knowledge make him ineligible to serve as governor.
The party alleges that his appointment was politically motivated. Dr. Poudel is said to have been a member of a political party, a founding shareholder of Sanima Bank, and a member of the committee formed by the previous government for appointing the governor. He resigned from the committee and later became governor, which led to complaints being filed at the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) and a case at the Supreme Court.
Under the Nepal Rastra Bank Act, a governor must not be a member of a political party and should hold a postgraduate degree in fields like economics, banking, finance, commerce, management, public administration, statistics, mathematics, or commercial law. Dr. Poudel, however, holds a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, a master’s in resource agriculture, and a PhD in agricultural resource economics.
Besides the removal demand, JEN-G United urged the Finance Minister to ensure investor protection, prevent manipulation by intermediaries, recover unauthorized interest charged by banks and financial institutions, stop the misuse of foreign loans, and hold the Revenue Investigation and Asset Purification Department accountable.
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