KATHMANDU: With the date for the November 20 election fast approaching, the political parties are busy nominating their respective candidates.
The district and province committees have been recommending candidates from their constituencies. While the issue of seat distribution has not yet been agreed upon within the ruling coalition, UML is recommending its candidates in various areas and intensifying the election preparations.
It is time to review how the House of Representatives has worked, how active and how useful it has been in these five years.
In this context, Khabarhub’s Dhiraj Basnet approached one of the influencer leaders of the ruling coalition and Chairman of Rastriya Janamorcha Chitra Bahadur KC to discuss the unstable political situation in the province and the issue of seat distribution within the coalition. Excerpts:
Why has the ruling coalition not been able to decide the issue of seat distribution? What’s the specific dispute?
Everyone has acted as if they would have got more seats for their side. But now it ends soon. Initially, we asked for two seats in the federal and seven seats in the province.
The so-called major parties have said that they want more seats. The task force has prepared a blueprint and submitted it to the top leaders.
Now the top-level meeting will give it a final shape. We have not asked for seats where we do not have mass. The issue of seat allocation is stuck because the big parties need all the seats. It will probably be settled on Saturday.
As a party that is against federalism, how are you coping with the pro-federalist parties and joining hands with them to contest elections?
Everyone thinks that the coalition should be made only after everything is agreed upon.
However, if everything is agreed upon, obviously the parties merge into one party. The coalition is formed among the parties which, despite some differences, agree to work together on key issues of special importance for the time being.
They work together despite ideological differences. We formed an alliance against the Panchayat system; although we had labeled Nepali Congress as a political enemy, we formed an alliance with it against Panchayat.
Alliance can be on the agenda, working agendas can be based on immediate needs. They are meant to address the problems at present. Forming an alliance or joining the coalition does not mean the partners agreed on everything.
We have not discarded our agenda of the abolition of federalism. We believe it (province) is a burden to the nation.
Even now, people do not believe that people will vote for those who pass Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and those who give citizenship to foreigners.
We say the leaders did nothing. However, the license to go to Singha Durbar is given by all the people. We have united only to save the Republic and the Constitution of 2015. We will make our agenda clear to the people in the elections.
How do you evaluate the five-year tenure of the province?
The Federal province became the most infamous. It became a place to employ the party leaders and cadres, a place that drains out the remittances earned through the hard labor of the people.
Therefore, Rastriya Janamorcha has said that federalism should be abolished. It takes time for people to realize this. It is not revoked as soon as we say it.
You strongly opposed the Citizenship Bill. Why didn’t you speak to the top leaders of the ruling coalition and merely protested outside?
We told them. However, nothing happens just by telling them. They should be obliged to listen to the people. Nepali people should listen to us. Giving citizenship to foreigners is an attack on sovereignty and a threat to national integrity.
What kind of agenda will you go with the people in the upcoming elections?
The spirit of the progressive changes made by the people’s movement should be safeguarded. The Constitution of 2015 should be revoked. The corruption must end. People’s livelihoods should be secured, this is our agenda.
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