Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane has criticized comments made by CPN-UML President KP Sharma Oli that targeted Education, Science and Technology Minister Sumana Shrestha's inter-country marriage.

Speaking at an event in Kathmandu on Wednesday, Lamichhane said, "I do not appreciate the patriarchal attitude towards inter-country marriages. Love and marriage are personal decisions that others should respect."

He added, "Today, due to our nation's diaspora, inter-country marriages are common. But this patriarchal mindset disapproves, leading to many such comments. We have also raised serious objections to the remarks made by the Education Minister."

Lamichhane emphasized, "Who you love, who you marry, how your personal life unfolds—these are your decisions alone, not someone else's."

A few days ago, in meetings with teachers' representatives and at a public event last Saturday, UML President Oli commented on Minister Shrestha's marriage to a foreigner.

On Wednesday, Minister Shrestha responded to Oli's comments via social media platform X: "Does a relationship with a foreigner make one a traitor? Or is this country run only by those who have lived in Nepal for generations and married Nepalis?"