Leaders’ family and relatives in ‘loktantra”
UML chairman K.P. Sharma Oli recently warned the deposed King to remain under the constitutional framework. Oli further remarked that the nation is not going to establish a family. Oli also remarked that there is no possibility of the return of the institution of monarchy.
Oli might be aware that in politics, nothing is impossible. He had not believed that the present “loktantra” was possible, therefore, he had said, “One cannot reach the USA by riding on the OxCart.” But “loktantra was introduced and he became the prime minister time and again. Talking about establishing a family, Oli has been able to reward Anjan Shakya, his sister-in-law, for the post of National Assembly member. This seat is allotted to those intellectuals recognized in their works by the nation.
Earlier, the same lady was assigned the ambassador to Israel and also worked as the deputy chief of the Foreign Affairs Study Academy through Oli's personal influence.
In the beginning, she was a singer and also a program presenter on Nepal Television. Along with Oli’s rise, her upliftment process started. Now, the government has recommended her name to be nominated to the National Assembly from the quota of those renowned personalities. This is an example of nepotism.
Oli introduced a family dynasty by nominating Suhang Nembang as the candidate for the byelections in Ilam, which had remained vacant after the death of Subhas Nembang. Suhang is the son of the late Subhas Nembang. Moreover, in the past, by nominating Bidya Bhandari, widow of Madan Bhandari, as the candidate for the post of House of Representatives from a Kathmandu constituency, Oli exhibited his trust in the family dynasty. Bhandari, a member of Oli’s kitchen cabinet, became the minister and also the President for two terms.
Another lady Bidhya Bhattarai, widow of sitting minister Rabindra Adhikari, who died in a helicopter accident, contested the election from the constituency from where Rabindra had won the election from a Kaski electoral constituency. Although Oli has no child, his relatives have enjoyed different government posts under nepotism explored by Oli, by sidelining all his opponents, and, is now performing as a dictator in the party. Many party workers struggled hard to bring the party to its present height, but they were discarded. The party workers’ status is no more than the level of a private servant or a slave in the UML.
The same scenario has been witnessed in the Maoist Center and the Nepali Congress as well. There is nobody to question Pushpakamal Dahal’s action in the Maoist Center. Similarly, in the Nepali Congress, there is nobody capable of challenging Sher Bahadur Deuba. The party workers’ status is no more than the level of servants or slaves. In the name of “loktantra’ the party supremos are practising anarchism and dictatorship. The parties are not practising internal democracy. Earlier, when those parties were banned, the leaders were practising democracy within the party. There used to be the existence of the majority group as well as the minority group. There used to be a check-and-balance system in all the political parties, which has not ended.
Oli, a partner in the government, has now become a strong supporter of PM Dahal. Dahal is known to be a leader whose first priority is his family. His daughter, Renu, is the mayor of Bharatpur Metropolitan City. PM Dahal is pouring all funds into the metropolis, where his daughter is the mayor. Dahal assigned his daughter Ganga Dahal as the chief of the PM’s secretariat. Ganga is involved in all kinds of government deals, including the commission. Dahal's daughter-inlaw, Bina Magar, is the co-in-charge of the Sudur Paschim Province of the party.
PM Dahal was able to elect his cousin Narayan Dahal to the post of chairman of the National Assembly. When these three leaders select new ambassadors and also judges in the court, or the chiefs and officials of the constitutional bodies, their first priority will be the relatives, then those who pay commission in advance or those partyclose people. Such a practice has destroyed the entire governance mechanism.
When such dictators and anarchists question the deposed King, it becomes a matter of joke.