Maoist lawmaker Kirati warns of crisis at NEA, suspects privatization agenda

KATHMANDU: Maoist Center lawmaker Sudan Kirati has claimed that public dissatisfaction has surged following the removal of Kulman Ghising as Managing Director of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA).

Speaking during the zero hour of the House of Representatives on Thursday, Kirati raised concerns over frequent power cuts and questioned if Nepal is experiencing an undeclared load-shedding.

“I recently visited several areas in eastern Nepal, and I witnessed power cuts in many places. People there clearly linked the outages to Kulman’s dismissal,” he said. “Is this an undeclared load-shedding? Or is it the result of mismanagement within the authority?”

Kirati also questioned the motives behind the recent changes in NEA leadership. Referring to the white paper presented by the new management, which portrayed the authority as being in financial trouble, he suggested it might be part of a privatization agenda.

“An institution that was profitable under Kulman now suddenly appears to be in crisis, according to the new leadership,” Kirati remarked. “What message are we supposed to take from this? Is this a step toward selling the authority off cheaply?”

Kirati concluded with a sharp warning to the government, urging it not to mislead the public with deceptive narratives.

“The people will no longer be fooled. If the government pursues this path, it will be a serious misfortune for the nation. I strongly warn against it,” he stated, invoking the metaphor of a cunning fox blaming a bird for stealing a chicken.