PM Deuba, Speaker, top leaders of various political parties pay tributes to Giri

KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress (NC) President and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba paid tributes to party leader and lawmaker Pradeep Giri, who passed away while undergoing treatment at Mediciti Hospital in Lalitpur. He was 74. Giri passed away at 9:30 pm on Saturday. He was a cancer patient. Draping a party flag on the mortal remain of Giri who was well known as a socialist thinker in Nepali politics, the NC President paid his tributes to the late leader. Similarly, the party's senior leader Ramchandra Paudel, Vice Presidents duo Purna Bahadur Khadka and Dhanraj Gurung, and General Secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa were among those who reached the party central office, Sanepa to offer their tributes. Party leaders, cadres and his wishers gathered in large numbers at the party office for offering their last respects to the late leader. Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota, Chairperson of the CPN (Unified Socialist) Madhav Kumar Nepal, former Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai, deputy leader of the CPN (UML) parliamentary party Subas Chandra Nembang and Minister for Energy and Water Resources Pampha Bhusal also offered their tributes to Giri. Talking to mediapersons on the occasion, Unified Socialist Chair Nepal said the demise of Giri caused a loss of a principled and studious person to the country. "Pradeep Ji (honorific) concluded through his comparative study that socialism is the best system. Giri with concerns towards Nepali politics has given his contributions to move forward socialism force in the country," he said. Giri, also a socialist thinker and member of the House of Representatives, died on Saturday night at Nepal Mediciti Hospital in Kathmandu. Giri was admitted to the hospital after returning from India where he received treatment for throat cancer. The last rites of Giri will be performed at Pashupati Aryaghat today itself.