Former DPM Bharat Mohan Adhikari no more

KATHMANDU, March 2: Former Deputy Prime Minister Bharat Mohan Adhikari has passed away on Saturday evening. He was 82.

The senior communist leader and former finance minister was admitted to Dhumbarai-based HAMS hospital three weeks ago after he complained of heart and lungs pain. He was put on ventilator support for artificial respiration.

His health condition had worsened in the past three days.

According to Dr Pana, Adhikari’s vital organs were not properly working and medicine had been supplied to raise his blood pressure and the urination had stopped for the past 24 hours.

The hospital pronounced him “dead” at 9:35 pm in the evening, according to Dr Bhaskar Raj Panta.

His body will be kept at the central party office of Nepal Communist Party in Dhumbarahi from 9 am to 12 pm for condolence on Sunday, according to NCP leader Krishna Gopal Shrestha.

Adhikari was the first communist finance minister of Nepal. He championed “Afno Gaun Afai Banau” (Make your own village) campaign when he was in the 1994-1995 government led by late Prime Minister Man Mohan Adhikari. He also introduced allowance for the senior citizens.

Born at Bhawarpurna in Mahottari district, the four times finance minister was also the member of Constitution Drafting Recommendation Commission on 1990.

Adhikari, who also served as  parliamentary party’s deputy leader, the chief whip of the then CPN-UML, had joined the party in 1955. He had retired from active politics in 2014.