‘Rejected because she is a woman’: clash in Kathmandu on the eve of 8 March

The official nominated for the post of secretary general of the Nepalese Ministry of Health has denounced discrimination after being bypassed by a male colleague in the appointment decided by the government. ‘Marginalised by the minister because she is a woman and Madheshi’. Controversy in parliament and on social networks.

Kathmandu (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Discriminated against because she is a woman and a Madheshi, that is, from one of the ethnic minority groups of Indian origin.

The controversy shaking Nepal's political circles on the eve of 8 March was raised by Dr Sangita Mishra, a doctor well known in the country for her positions in public health, who was bypassed at the last minute in the race for the post of Secretary General of the Ministry of Health.

Despite the fact that she had been indicated as the first option by the Public Service Commission, the government preferred another candidate, appointing Dr Bikas Devkota to the prestigious position.

When interviewed by The Himalayan Times, Dr Mishra directly accused the Minister of Health, Pradeep Poudel, of discrimination against her.

‘He removed me from the position of Director General of the Department of Health Services, he didn't give me any work, he didn't invite me to any meetings and he didn't include me in any committees,’ she said, adding: “He is anti-Madheshi.”

’I had no problem working with different ministers from various parties. However, Minister Paudel seems to have had problems with me and her bigotry has ruined my career.’

Speaking in Parliament, MP Amresh Kumar Singh called for the minister's resignation: ‘Is it a crime to be a woman or to be Madhesi?’ he asked.

A campaign has also been launched on social networks in support of Dr Mishra: ‘If the government truly believes in inclusion, equal opportunities and justice, why has Dr Sangita Mishra suffered injustice and discrimination?’ the campaign asks.

For his part, Minister Paudel minimised the role of his department in the decision: ‘The decision was made by the entire Council of Ministers’, he observed, defining the controversy as ‘malicious and misleading’.