Nepali Congress President and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba said democracy will be stronger only when the Nepali Congress is emboldened and consolidated.
Speaking at the Bhaktapur district conclave of the Nepali Congress at Sallaghari in Bhaktapur on Saturday, President Deuba, who was invited as the chief guest of the program, said, "If democracy is strengthened, the nation will be prosperous. So to consolidate and bolster the party, the Congress should be consolidated from the center to the ward."
There have been voices that the National Assembly should be made inclusive and more representational while all the members of the House of Representatives should be elected directly, said Deuba. For this, a two-thirds majority is required in the federal parliament. All the parties should come together to forge a consensus for the amendment of the Constitution.
Expressing his views at the program, the senior leader of the Nepali Congress Shekhar Koirala, who was invited as the special guest of the program, underlined the need to keep a close bond with the people across the country, referring to the old mantra given by BP Koirala, to make the party stronger.
Nepali Congress can contest elections from the ward to the center alone without aligning with any other parties, said Koirala, calling on all the leaders and cadres to make preparations for the next general elections, accordingly.
Koirala went on to say that, good governance, transparency, accountability, and responsibility are indispensable to bolster democracy in the country.
He mentioned that there have been voices arising from all the party rank and file that the mixed electoral system in Nepal has weakened the Nepali Congress, nor has it done good to any other political parties.
The electoral provision in the Constitution needs to be amended even by making the National Assembly inclusive and more representational. "The members of the House of Representatives should be directly elected and the National Assembly should be made inclusiveness and more representational," said Koirala, "If done so, the Nepali Congress will be bolstered, thereby institutionalizing democratic socialism in the country."
He further said that social, economic equality and cultural diversity have been in jeopardy, of late. "Unless we strike a balance among these three things, our constitution will be in jeopardy. Nepal is always in favor of social equality, economic equality, and cultural diversity," said Koirala.
He went on to say that the Election Commission needs to be independent and impartial for a robust democracy. "The Election Commission should not be kept under the purview of the chief district officer (CDO). It will weaken democracy," said Koirala.
Commenting on the Citizenship Bill recently certified by the President, Koirala said that it is constitutional. The Bill had been sent to the Office of the President by endorsing twice by the parliament. But it was interrupted by the former President. When it was sent for the second time, there was no valid reasons to stop it.
Similarly, he also criticized the value-added tax (VAT) imposed on essential commodities such as potatoes and onions in the recently unveiled budget for the fiscal year 2023/24.
Meanwhile, he also took strong exception to the amnesty recently granted by the President to the jailbirds who had been serving life imprisonment after being convicted by all three courts -- district court, high court, and Supreme Court. "The amnesty recently granted to the jailbirds by the President breaches democratic norms and values. If such illegal steps are taken just to prolong the government, it will promote impunity, thereby weakening democracy," said Koirala.
Deputy General Secretary Badri Pandey said democracy, nationality, and socialism are the guiding principles of the Nepali Congress. This party advocates not only for democracy but also for egalitarian society. It has the political ideology which most of the developed countries including Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark have adopted, said Pandey.
He further said some new parties have come into existence dramatically which, Pandey claimed, cannot lead the nation. It's only the Nepali Congress that can bail the country out of the present crisis. The country has been facing a financial crisis, at present. Now it's high time, Nepali Congress took the initiative to deal with the crisis by creating job opportunities for the youths going abroad. The old industries that have been closed for various reasons should be brought into operation and other new factories and industries should be opened.
It has made us feel proud that we are the members of the Nepali Congress, said Pandey, adding, "It can stand as a bedrock for national independence. It won't compromise when it comes to national independence." "Democratic socialism has been successful in many countries across the world."
Likewise, Nepali Congress Bagmati Province President Indra Baniya stated that if the directly elected electoral system is not adopted by amending the Constitution and the party statute, the federal democratic system will be in jeopardy.
Stressing the need to elect a ward committee president by fifty-one percent of the active members, he appealed to the leadership to make it pro-people, service-orientated, and village-centered.
Nepali Congress Bhaktpur District President Durlav Thapa, who chaired the program, said Bhaktapur district has initiated the renewal of the active membership well before the next General Convention of the party, breaking the existing trend.
Saying that democracy and prosperity are impossible without Nepali Congress, Thapa called on one and all to get prepared for the general elections to be held in 2084 BS.
Coordinated by District Committee Secretary Yadav Adhikari, central working committee members Madan Krishna Shrestha, Rama Koirala, among others, expressed their views in the district conclave.
