JHAPA: Senior leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Balen Shah, who is touring the country as a prospective prime ministerial candidate, has altered his earlier position on the provincial governance system.
Shah, who resigned as Kathmandu Metropolitan City mayor to contest the House of Representatives election from Jhapa-5, had opposed the provincial structure during the 2022 elections. At the time, he had publicly supported scrapping the provincial system and had even refrained from voting in provincial assembly elections.
However, after entering the prime ministerial race, Shah has now argued that the provincial system does not place a heavy financial burden on the state.
“Operating the provincial structure costs the state relatively little. Salaries paid to ministers and lawmakers have not bankrupted the country,” Shah said while interacting with locals of Kamal Rural Municipality in Jhapa on Tuesday.
His remarks came after locals suggested that abolishing the provincial system could free up resources for greater investment in education and health. Responding to the concern, Shah said scrapping the system would not significantly improve public spending, contradicting his own stance from three years ago.
During the interaction, a local voter shared his frustration, saying that despite working in Gulf countries for nearly two decades, he had failed to secure sufficient savings to invest in Nepal. He also suggested that the state should at least provide subsidized education and healthcare if full free services are not possible.
Shah responded by saying that support for education already exists for students from disadvantaged families. “The Constitution promises free education, but budgets are limited,” he said. “Those without money should receive state support, while those with resources should be allowed to operate freely.”
Shah, Lamichhane skipped provincial vote in 2022
In the November 20, 2022, elections, Shah and RSP Chair Rabi Lamichhane had refused to vote for provincial assembly candidates, citing dissatisfaction with the federal structure. Shah, then an independent candidate, did not collect provincial ballots at the polling center in Kathmandu.
Lamichhane had also said he would not participate in provincial elections unless the system was reformed, arguing that it was expensive and failed to deliver public services. At the time, RSP did not field any candidates for provincial assemblies.
Shah had earlier argued that a strong local government made the provincial layer unnecessary. Critics had also questioned his clarity on republicanism, secularism and federalism during the local elections.
Assurances to landless settlers
During his Jhapa visit, Shah also addressed concerns of landless settlers in Jhapa-5. Responding to fears that bulldozers might be used against settlements, as seen in Kathmandu, Shah said such actions would not be repeated there.
“I used bulldozers in Kathmandu to protect people from flood risks. That situation does not apply here,” he told residents during a visit to a landless settlement in Kamal Rural Municipality.
He stressed that landless families living away from riverbanks should be recorded by the Land Commission and provided land ownership certificates through recommendations from local governments.
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