Nepal’s Vice-President Paramananda Jha on Sunday retook his oath of office and secrecy in two languages, Nepali and Maithili, ending the language row which had kept his post “inactive” for more than five months.
Mr. Jha had taken his oath in Hindi in July 2008 but his choice of language was widely criticised as Hindi is regarded as a foreign language in Nepal. The Supreme Court asked him to retake the oath in the official language, Nepali but Mr. Jha refused to do so. In January, Nepal’s interim Constitution was amended allowing Nepal’s President, Vice-President and Prime Minister to take the oath of office in their mother tongues. Mr. Jha also wore the traditional daura suruwal while taking the oath. Earlier, his attire had also sparked criticism as it was seen as “Indian”.