Nepal govt withdraws public holiday amid criticism

As per custom, public holidays are announced in Nepal whenever the head of the state embarks on an official foreign visit and when returns home will be a public holiday.

Kathmandu, April 17: Amid wide criticism, the Nepal government has decided to roll back its decision to declare a public holiday on Friday, the day when President Bidya Devi Bhandari is scheduled to return home at the end of a five-day state visit to India.

Earlier, the government had announced public holidays on April 17 and April 22, days when the President was slated to leave for her foreign tour and return home.

On Monday morning, Bhandari, leading a 33-member delegation, left Kathmandu for India on a five-day state visit at the invitation of her Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee. A public holiday was observed on Monday.

In monarchical Nepal, public holidays were customarily announced whenever the King embarked on an official visit to any nation or returned home after the visit. The announcement on Sunday by Law Minister Ajay Shankar Nayak about the public holidays on April 17 and 22 appeared a continuation of the previous practice but strident criticism from almost all quarters forced the government to have a re-think on the decision.

Her delegation includes Foreign Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat and Peace and Reconstruction Minister Sita Devi Yadav, five women MPs and senior officials.

IANS