Reporters Club Event: “This by-election happened with absolute fairness, and there is no evidence of tampering or corruption. The Election Commission (EC) has worked hard, and I would like to thank the EC. I was there in my constituency, and all those who were part of the elections including the administration and security” said former assistant Minister and general secretary of the Rashtriya Janata Party Nepal (National People’s Party Nepal) Chanda Chaudhary.

She is also a member of the House of Representatives (HoR) of the federal parliament of Nepal.

She spoke at the Reporters Club in a special interaction program last week after the completion of the by-elections.

HoR Chaudhary said that “our country is democratic and a republic, the citizens are aware and conscious. Nepal Communist Party (NCP) won most of the seats. The elections showed that people are aligned in the grassroots to counter the Madhes party in order to defeat them. People still do not respect the decision and ideology of the party” she said.

HoR Chaudary also said that this election was fairly conducted with no signs of fraud or corruption, and she thanked the people who worked tirelessly throughout in order to make the election successful.

Reporters Club Event: “The current border dispute between India and Nepal is a subject of importance. In the all-party meeting chaired by PM Oli there was a unanimous decision which added strength to the current 2/3rd majority government” said General Secretary of the Rashtriya Janata Party RJPN, ( National People’s Party Nepal) Keshav Jha.

Speaking at a special interaction program organized at the Reporters Club he also mentioned the need for looking deeper into the details and historical evidence related to the border dispute. “There is a show of strength, and yes we have to be nationalistic, but we must also handle the situation positively and tackle the issue at a diplomatic level.

It is said that King Mahendra to save the Panchayat regime had an agreement with India, we have to investigate into this in detail and bring out the truth”.

He spoke on the necessity for the use of diplomatic channels to resolve the border dispute. “There was a formation of the EPG (Eminent Persons Group) which was not successful in resolving the issue. The Government of Nepal (GoN) now has to take up the responsibility and open dialogue through diplomacy. It is better not to make an issue but rather initiate a dialogue, he said”.

He also shared the ideals of which the bilateral relations of India and Nepal were based, on people to people ties. We cannot destroy these ties in the name of ultranationalism protesting each time we have a problem. Let us understand the sentiments of the people living in the borders.

Remember a saying goes “barking dogs never bite, we have to take action through every means at our disposal. China too has to take our sovereignty seriously. Their press release was not in line with diplomatic practices. China needs to correct its method and approach toward Nepal. The GoN needs to intervene by diplomatic means but this has not happened”

Speaking about the corruption that is plaguing the nation, Jha said that look at the numerous scams the GoN has been involved in. The Airplane procurement scam, the Gold smuggling case, Lalita Niwas land grabbing scandal, and the NCELL scam. The ruling party is also serving as a protectionist where the accused are being let go because of their affiliation and position in the party”.

“The government will get zero marks if there is an evaluation of their work. They have failed in every aspect to make the country economically forward. If we take a look at the share market it has fallen with most investments from middle-class families being affected.

From 22 trillion Nepalese rupees (NRs) it has come down to 12 trillion NRs, damaging the investments of many Nepalese. Most of the corruption is taking place at the local level, which the GoN is not being able to curb.

We are now part as an Asia Pacific member and according to the financial assessment we are being kept in the disastrous grey area. We may face a similar crisis like the one ongoing to Venezuela. Inflation will be uncontrollable”.

Finally speaking about the unification with Samajwadi Party, he said that although ideologically there are similarities, discussions are progressing, and we need a broader consensus for the unification to materialize”.

REPORTERS CLUB EVENT: Rashtriya Janata Party Nepal’s central board member and Member of Parliament Mahendra Raya Yadav said that from the onset their demand has been a constitutional amendment and it is the larger responsibility of all the political parties.

“The constitution needs to be amended”, with the promulgation we have a three-tier system and had elections in all the levels. We now have the responsibility of securing law and order, the system in place and the people’s aspirations.

People have started to attack federalism and the Republic, it is a matter of grave concern and RJPN will shoulder its obligation of protecting political achievement.

Speaking at a press interaction program at the Reporters Club Yadav stated that “the Prime Minister had called a meeting of the major parties and had expressed that the Republic is in grave danger.

These developments are a matter of grave concern. All parties should unite and protect the Republic and also accept that the constitution needs amendment, we have to resolve all outstanding political issues and address them. It is opportune for the peace and development of the nation.

If we are in a state of conflict then problems arise in implementing the constitution, for this to be successful for the future we have to make amendments in agreement with all parties. In the current scenario what the government has done is to break all past accords and understanding”.

Yadav also said that the country was in a state of conflict for a long period and it couldn’t afford conflict any longer. The country now wants good governance and peace.

“We have a 2/3rd majority government but this majority has not been able to provide the stability and progress required. Governance has failed, people are suffering, and the administration has been a total failure.

The people are not satisfied with the work of the government, and there are internal problems within the ruling party. They are involved in the power struggle and unable to work for the people. We need to protect the dignity of the country and unite to move forward.

Lawlessness and lack of governance have been felt by the people, this is all due to our method of electing representatives which have proven to be expensive and marred by corruption. We have to move in for a proportional representation system that will reduce costs”.

“The country is running in remittance, we have to make our nation self sufficient bringing concrete programs that will generate income and employment. We have to commercialize agriculture.

The government needs to pay more attention to these areas. The budget set for agriculture is the same as it was before, it is a failure, and more coordination is required between the opposition too”.

Speaking about the encounter of Kumar Poudel which is said to be an extrajudicial killing by the National Human Rights Commission of Nepal, he said that irrespective of who is involved, they have to be tried as per the law and be punished if found guilty.

He also demanded to divulge the Lal Commission report. “If the report of the Lal Commission is divulged then the people would know the truth,” he said.