By Our Reporter sujataThe government decision to provide Rs 5 million to NC leader Siujata Koirala for her treatment has drawn strong criticism from public. Koirala is suffering from breast cancer. The government took the controversial decision a few days after Home Minister Gagan Thapa announced that no politician would be granted treatment expense more than Rs. 1.5 million. It is said that the decision was taken under the pressure from NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba and Home Minister Bimalendra Nidhi. The social sites are full of comments against the decision. The social site users have posted photos of the poor patients of Karnali and leader Koirala showing hown the state coffer was misused by the powerful persons. There are stories of those who committed suicide for being unable to pay a bill of the hospital. Moreover, a popular online portal exposed the property details of leader Koirala, which she submitted while serving as Deputy Prime Minister and foreign affairs minister in 2009. According to the details, she owns land worth over Rs 2 billion. Yet she is provided Rs. 5 million to treat her cancer. The decision of the government has also created a difficult situation for Minister Thapa. Even the lawmakers in the parliament criticised the decision. On Monday’s meeting of the Parliament, lawmakers, including Yagyaraj Sunuwar and Mira Pun, protested against the decision. CPN-UML lawmaker Sunuwar said that the people were committing suicide by jumping off the hospital for want of basic medicine and the government was giving money only to the powerful leader. Anuradha Thapamagar, lawmaker from the Nepal Workers’ and Peasants’ Party, said the Prime Minister should make a pledge to reclaim money given from the state coffers to affluent people for their treatment.