KATHMANDU, Feb 26: Nepali Congress leader Gagan Kumar Thapa has issued an open call to CPN-UML, the Nepal Communist Party (NCP), Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), and other political parties to sit together on a common platform and debate the country’s development agenda.
Addressing an election rally in Surkhet on Thursday, Thapa proposed that the election campaign should focus on presenting a clear five-year roadmap rather than engaging in mutual accusations.
Stating that the country cannot progress through parties criticizing one another from separate platforms, Thapa proposed a joint forum for discussion.
Gagan Thapa says NC’s internal debate is ideological, not a pow...
“Let CPN-UML come, let Maoists (now NCP) come, let Rastriya Swatantra Party come. Let us sit on the same stage, stand on the same platform,” Thapa said. “It should not be like two people sitting in a tavern in the evening insulting each other, each saying different things.”
He criticized the tendency of leaders claiming that others have ruined the country and promising to perform “magic” upon coming to power, saying such rhetoric does not offer solutions.
Thapa emphasized that the upcoming election should be a competition of plans, not insults. He called for a debate among parties on how to make the five-year period from 2082 to 2087 BS a “golden era” for Nepal.
“What is our vision for Nepal over the next five years? What is our commitment? What is our plan? Let us discuss this,” he said, urging all parties to come forward with concrete strategies to bring change.
He further stated that parties should sit together to address legal barriers hindering development in Karnali. Noting that Karnali’s geography differs significantly from Kathmandu’s, he argued that constitutional and legal amendments are necessary to facilitate development in the region.
“The existing system requiring budget expenditure within the fiscal calendar is not practical for Karnali’s geography. The fiscal year calendar itself needs revision,” Thapa said. “It is not enough to shout alone. Let us sit together, amend the Constitution if necessary, and make a collective commitment to develop Karnali.”
