Following his bitter row with the Prime Minister on Wednesday’s cabinet meeting, Forest Minister and Maoist leader Matrika Yadav has asked PM Koirala to correct himself and stop treating them like his own party’s representatives.

“He first asked me why I spoke about army’s involvement in killing animals in jungles. I said I was only speaking the truth. He then said I cannot speak, to which I replied that he cannot stop me from speaking,” Yadav told reporters in the wake of what was the first public spat between the Prime Minister and incumbent minister which led to the walk out by the five Maoist ministers from cabinet meeting.

Following the argument, PM reportedly asked Yadav to get out, after which the Maoist ministers walked out together and registered their complaint with their party chairman Prachanda.

The Prime Minister was referring to recent remarks made by Yadav in a symposium in the capital where he claimed that Nepali Army was involved in felling trees and killing animals like deer and wild boars.

The Prime Minister said that as he held the Defense portfolio, Yadav should not have transgressed his ministerial jurisdiction and spoken about the army in the public. PM Koirala said that he should have approached him first if he had any comment to make.

“Everyone should understand that we have not joined the government to take bribe or to clear the jungle. (The PM) should also understand why we have joined the government,” Yadav added.

He claimed that he had seen during his days in prison how the army-men were involved in killing animals.

Meanwhile, Maoist chairman Prachanda tried to downplay the incident. “It wasn’t any ideological difference. It was due to difference in the style of presentation,” he told reporters after his meeting with the PM in the afternoon. “This problem can be sorted out and it must be sorted,” he said.