MP Jagadish Kharel denies involvement in Smart Telecom scandal, vows to retire

Kathmandu – Jagadish Kharel, an MP from the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party and former Minister of Communications, has stated he is ready to retire from politics if his involvement in the Smart Telecom scandal is proven.

Speaking at the House of Representatives meeting on Monday, he claimed that the news linking him to the scandal is baseless and misleading. He argued that the news was published with the intent of tarnishing his and his party’s reputation.

Kharel asserted that during his tenure as the Minister of Communications, he never even held a meeting with the company in question.

“I want to issue a challenge—if it is found that I held even a single meeting or mishandled a single file related to the Smart Telecom case, let alone being involved in any scandal, I am ready to permanently retire from my entire political career,” he declared.