KATHMANDU: CPN-UML General Secretary Shankar Pokharel has strongly criticized the slogan ‘choose the competent’ floated by emerging political forces, calling it a form of hypocrisy and institutionalized corruption.
Expressing his views via Facebook on Wednesday, Pokharel claimed that the true nature of newly emerged political parties is being exposed one after another.
Targeting the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and the government’s working style, he said there is a growing tendency to normalize actions against the state while glorifying destructive activities as acts of bravery.
He alleged that efforts are underway to turn interest-based set-ups into a system, interfere illegally in sensitive documents such as financial bills, and portray illegal sources of wealth as systemic weaknesses.
“In the name of self-interest, there is a game of protecting one’s own people while attempting to implicate others by any means,” Pokharel wrote. “If this is what ‘choosing the knowledgeable’ means, then it is not competence but hypocrisy.”
Pokharel further argued that the current political practices are obstructing good governance and rapid development, calling them the height of arbitrariness and bias.
He stressed that while correcting past mistakes is essential, wrongdoing committed in the name of new political forces cannot be justified.
“Correcting past shortcomings is necessary, but misdeeds committed in the name of the new cannot be acceptable,” he said.
His remarks come amid ongoing debate over recent budget-related controversies and broader political developments, and are being viewed as politically significant.
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