Nepal, March 19 -- Several Nepali Congress and other opposition lawmakers have demanded an investigation into Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Rabi Lamichhane over his alleged involvement in the misuse of funds from a Pokhara-based cooperative firm.

"We demand an answer from Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal whether the government is ready to investigate the massive misuse of cooperative funds and Lamichhane's alleged involvement," Nepali Congress lawmaker Gagan Kumar Thapa, who is also the party's general secretary, said at Monday's meeting of the House of Representatives. "We urge the government to take the issue and the plight of victims of cooperative frauds seriously."

Reports are pouring in from different parts ...