Being physically challenged, not a disability

Nawaraj Shrestha / Ramechhap : Laxmi Ghimire is a single member representing disability field in the 110-member Bagmati Province Assembly. Rastriya Prajatantra Party has nominated her under proportional category for the assembly seat.

Ghimire from Gokulganga Rural Municipality-4 of Ramechhap suffered spinal paralysis after she fell from a mountain at the age of 16 in 2009. At the time, she was studying in grade 11. Her life turned upside down and had to live a life in a wheelchair after spinal cord injury. Leaving behind her dream to join army after graduating from her high school, she has now joined the assembly from the wheelchair.

After the disability, Ghimire has been worried about the social perception towards the disabled and is committed to bringing change in that perception. Thinking that a change in the perception could be brought through politics, she started her political carrier by joining Sajha Party established in 2017.

She worked for some time in the central committee of the youth organisation of the party. In the meantime, Sajha Party and Bibeksheel Party got united. After this, she became a central member of Bibeksheel Shajha Party and served as the head of the membership management department of the party. Later, due to internal problems within the party, she left the party and joined the Rastriya Prajatantra Party on September 27, 2022.

In the first term of the Bagmati Provincial Assembly, Bhimsen Khatri of the Nepali Congress was elected from the disability field under the proportional category.

“Our society still treats people with disabilities as poor and pitiful. Politics is the last option to change the thinking of people in the society,” Ghimire said. Stating that she started her political journey thinking that the change is possible through politics, she said that she would raise a voice for the construction of disability-friendly structures along with their political rights in the assembly.

She said that the government offices and hospitals are still not disabled friendly and now she would raise strong voice for the construction of a disability-friendly structure from the assembly. She added that the government should look after the quality education, health and employment according to the capability of the disabled and would raise the issue in the assembly.

She demanded that the state should invest equally in the field of sports for disabled people. She is also the captain of the national wheelchair basketball team. “I have been active in wheelchair basketball, weightlifting and other sports for 10 years now. Sports are important for disabled people, so the state should invest equally for them,” she added.

She said that in the first meeting of the Provincial Assembly, she would raise her voice against the federal system. PA hall made disabled-friendly

Meanwhile, there is a provision in the Bagmati Provincial Assembly rules that if the assembly consists of any disable people, one would be designated with a certain place with one helper and the helper would be allowed to stay inside the hall.