Nepal’s Youth Minister Bablu Gupta Postpones U.S. Visit

Kathmandu — Nepal’s Minister for Youth and Sports, Bablu Gupta, has postponed his scheduled visit to the United States on Magh 3, citing lack of time to complete visa and other formalities, according to his personal secretary Vinod Rimal.

The visit was planned for the minister to participate in a program titled “Role of Youth in the Development of Nepal Post-Gen Z Revolution”, organized by the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) under Vice President Bikram Dev Upreti. However, a rival NRNA-American faction, led by Satendra Shah, issued a statement saying the minister was not invited, creating further controversy around the trip.

Upreti explained that the youth department of NRNA was organizing the event in Dallas, Texas, focusing on the role of Nepali youth after the Gen Z movement. The program was coordinated by youth representative Ashish Sangraula, while the minister had not finalized his travel schedule, leaving the venue and date unconfirmed.

Minister Gupta wanted to return to Nepal before Magh 6, the day for candidate registration for the House of Representatives election. Though the current government is non-partisan, Gupta is closely associated with the Rastriya Swatantra Party (Raswapa). He has been politically active, participating in unity meetings with Raswapa president Ravi Lamichhane, Balen Shah, and Kulman Ghising, even posing for photos after their agreements.

According to Vinod Rimal, the U.S. trip was planned three weeks ago but only received cabinet approval recently due to delays in government meetings. He also clarified that the minister’s expenses would be covered by the U.S. organizers, not the Nepalese government.

During the program, Minister Gupta was expected to share his perspective on the Gen Z movement and discuss the role of non-resident Nepali youth in contributing to national development. No other officials were planned to accompany him.