KATHMANDU: Ganesh Parajuli is the deputy leader of the parliamentary party of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP). He is also a member of the party secretariat. Having been associated with the party since its establishment, Parajuli believes that the party’s first general convention will send a message of unity and integration. According to him, there will no longer be a situation within the party where groupism is discussed.
Parajuli says the party’s statute does not seek to make the chairperson more powerful but aims to institutionalize the spirit of integration and unity. He argues that the chairperson has been given nomination authority to accommodate leaders who joined the party through different groups and processes.
“The purpose of this provision is not to make the chairperson more powerful. If we can incorporate the spirit of the integration process through this general convention, then after the convention, there will no longer be a need for the term ‘integration’ within the party,” he says. He also argues that it would not be fair to make leaders who joined the party from different political groups compete in elections against long-time members. “Even in the name of a democratic process, it would be unjust to force colleagues who became part of the party through different groups to contest elections,” he said.
He added that the new party statute also provides for two vice-chairpersons at the provincial and district levels, one of whom must be a woman. In addition, the statute envisions the formation of booth committees and local neighborhood committees.
Excerpts:
You are holding the party’s first general convention four years after its establishment. How excited are you?
We are very pleased to be able to hold our first general convention in the fourth year since the party’s formation. This is an important milestone from the perspective of the institutional development of the Rastriya Swatantra Party. In a short period after government formation, we completed the preparations and are now moving ahead with the convention. Not just me, but all party leaders, members, and well-wishers are excited.
You were also a member of the statute amendment task force. What kind of party statute are you introducing?
A political party’s statute is the fundamental document that determines how the party can become people-oriented and capable of working in the interest of the country and its citizens. It provides direction for strengthening the party, organizing it systematically, and advancing it with long-term plans.
We prepared the statute based on the Political Parties Act. It has been drafted with the interests of the party, the people, and the country at the center. A statute is essentially the framework for running the party and shaping its future direction.
What issues have been included in the statute?
Our main focus has been on strengthening the organizational structure. Priority has been given to determining what the central committee should look like, how office bearers will be selected, and how the party structure will expand down to the local level.
We have proposed the formation of booth committees and neighborhood committees. The current 121-member central committee is proposed to expand to 151 members. Arrangements have also been made for the chairpersons of all seven provinces to become ex-officio members. However, these provisions will only take formal effect after approval by the central committee.
Recently, various political groups and forces, including Tharuhat, Dalit groups, and Bibeksheel Sajha, have been integrated into RSP. Therefore, it is necessary to address the integration process through the general convention. After the convention, the goal is to create a situation where no one within the party feels identified by the group they originally came from. In this context, the statute proposes giving the chairperson authority to nominate 51 central committee members.
Our three vice-chairpersons, two general secretaries, five joint general secretaries, one treasurer, and one spokesperson will automatically become members of the secretariat. In the proposed 33-member secretariat, the chairperson will also have authority to select the remaining members.
At the provincial, district, and municipal levels, there will be two vice-chairpersons, one of whom must be a woman. RSP’s objective is not just to maintain women’s participation within the 33 percent threshold but to establish women meaningfully in leadership positions.
One of the central joint general secretaries must also be a woman. Female representation is also proposed as mandatory in the positions of deputy treasurer and deputy spokesperson. One vice-chairperson being female is already mandatory, and additional women may also be elected through open competition.
There has been criticism that the statute gives too much power to the chairperson. Why give the chairperson so much authority?
We are preparing for the party’s first general convention. Many foundational aspects of party building still need to be strengthened. There are also many aspects of the integration process that still need to be addressed.
Friends who joined from Tharuhat, Dalit communities, independent movements, or Bibeksheel Sajha may face difficulties if placed directly into competition with long-time members. Accommodating people from different groups is also the party’s responsibility.
So, this arrangement is not intended to make the chairperson disproportionately powerful but to embrace the spirit of integration. It should be understood as an effort to include everyone. At the same time, the party remains fully committed to democratic values and processes, and the statute will ensure that.
If the chairperson nominates 51 central committee members, does that mean they do not have to contest elections?
Yes, they will not need to contest elections. The chairperson will nominate 51 central committee members on a proportional and inclusive basis.
Again, I want to clarify that the purpose is not to make the chairperson more powerful. The aim is to complete the integration process through this general convention so that, afterward, the term integration itself becomes unnecessary within the party.
Will secretariat members also be selected automatically without becoming central committee members?
There is still some ambiguity regarding this issue. It will become clearer after tomorrow’s central committee meeting. So, it is not possible to state definitively at this stage. However, the concept is not that all secretariat members will simply be nominated.
Is there a possibility that office bearers will not be elected during the general convention?
That will not happen. If there is only one claimant for a position, consensus selection may happen. Since this is the first general convention, efforts will be made to reach consensus in many positions to send a message of unity and political culture.
So does that mean even the 100 central committee members will not be elected?
No, that is not the case. Rastriya Swatantra Party is currently the country’s largest political force. Among the convention representatives, there are many aspirants qualified to enter the central committee. Elections will definitely be held for the 100 central committee positions. There may be around 400 to 500 aspirants. In a democratic process, no one’s right to participate can be restricted. Therefore, those 100 central committee members will be selected through elections.
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