Caretaker Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal on Monday hailed late Nepali Congress leader Bal Bahadur Rai for committing his whole life for establishment of democracy in the country, describing him as a “relentless fighter” of all the democratic movements the country has seen.


After paying last respects to the body of late Rai at a condolence ceremony held at the central party office of Nepali Congress in Sanepa today morning, he expressed heartfelt sorrow at the demise of the octogenarian leader.

“He [Rai] sacrificed his whole life for establishment of democracy in the country,” the caretaker prime minister told media-persons remembering the late NC leader, “Simple living and high thinking, he was committed to democratic norms and values and above all worked for the betterment of the country and its people throughout his life.”

PM Nepal further said that the late NC leader fulfilled his responsibilities honestly when he was minister in the NC led government and said that with his demise the country has lost a great leader.

Meanwhile, CPN-UML chairman Jhala Nath Khanal said that the instrumental role late leader Rai played in the movements for establishment for democracy in the country was exceptional and a matter of inspiration for many leaders like him.

The NC Central Committee member and former minister Rai had passed away at the age of 89 on Sunday. He breathed his last while undergoing treatment at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj for uric acid and kidney-related ailment.

Meanwhile, Rai’s body has been airlifted to his