Time to rise against the Nepali Nero (Nepalekhabar special)

Kathmandu: As the festive season is approaching, people are reeling under shortage of goods and fuel due to the blockade imposed by India, but the government does not seem to be doing anything to resolve the issue. Instead the major parties are holding discussion for formation of a new government.

Nepali Congress, which considers itself as the most democratic-party, has failed to support the Nepali people at this time of crisis. The whole country has taken a stance against India’s interference, but the party has failed to pay attention to the problems being faced by the people. Instead, some of its senior leaders seem to be making fun of the Nepali people. For example, Dr. Minendra Rijal said India had not imposed blockade and some other leaders went on to say that there is no scarcity of petroleum products. The Nepali people have endured numerous difficulties supporting the government during various hours of crisis, but the major parties have remained indifferent towards the problems faced by the country.

As India imposed the undeclared blockade on Nepal immediately after the promulgation of the new constitution, debate started on importing goods from China as an alternate. China pledged all possible support to the country but the Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, who is also the president of the party, Finance Minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat and other influential ministers of Nepali Congress stood against the plan. They seem to be trying to hide the hardships of Nepali people.

Nepal’s Ambassador to China, Mahesh Maskey, in his interview to onlinekhabar.com, clearly mentioned that China is ready to support Nepal by supplying petroleum products if Nepal presents concrete proposal for the same. But Koirala and his cronies are not bothered by the problems its citizens are facing but are rather trying to please India after India showed them the lollipop of the Prime Minister’s post. Violating the previous gentlemen’s agreement among the three major political parties, Koirala is trying to remain at the helm of power for the second consecutive term with the grace of India. Incumbent Prime Minister Koirala, who was praised by all for his selfless behavior in the past, has become the most incompetent Prime Minister ever in the history of Nepal. At a time when the countrymen are suffering from burning problems, it seems he is not bothered and just enjoying his post. The executive head of the country did not even issue a statement expressing concern over the current crisis. He is acting like the Roman emperor Nero, who fiddled while Rome burned.

Most of the agenda of the Madhesh based parties are not genuine. They have the right to raise issues at the parliament and get the constitution amended to address their concerns, but they have gone for agitation and bandhs dancing to the tune of India, which has put national sovereignty at risk. India has been trying to impose its will on Nepal in the name of protests in the Tarai area of the country and Nepali Congress is willing to be a puppet in the hands of India. If some rights of people of Tarai region are denied or violated, it should be revived through the constitution amendment process as the constitution is not the full and final document. But any attempt to jeopardize national integrity and sovereignty should be strongly protested. If the party and prime minister were serious about the problems the country is facing, they should have immediately made arrangements import goods supplied from other countries and initiate efforts towards importing petroleum products from China, which is a very viable option. If they had smoothed the supply, the Tarai movement would have gone without any impact. As the government is distributing hundreds of thousand rupees to their party cadres, why doesn’t it give subsidy to petroleum products and initiate efforts for airlifting the petroleum products from other countries.

People at a queue in petrol station of Kathmandu. Recently government did not provide fuel to private vehicles.

The government has not been able to spend development expenditure for years. This year, it has not been able to initiate any development work due to the April earthquake and Tarai protests. Why can’t the government spend this and other money from the state coffer and airlift the necessary petroleum products from other countries so that the people can celebrate their festival without hindrance. The government should immediately announce a state of emergency and mobilize all its resources to bring the situation to normal. The government’s decision to give a long holiday in Dashain rather than solve the problem is deplorable and condemnable. The government should realize that many poor people have ‘empty stomachs’ for days as they do not have any fuel to cook their food.

The Prime Minister and his party are instead engaged in the debate of who should be the next prime minister at a time when most of the vehicles across the country are grounded and many hotels and restaurants have closed due to shortage of cooking gas. Similarly, the number of people who have not been able to light their stove due to shortage of fuel is increasing rapidly every day. Nearly three million people who normally leave the capital to celebrate the Dashain festival are not able to do so. Most of the industries have remained closed for months and most commercial centers have a deserted look, but the government seems least bothered. The government has failed to take any diplomatic initiatives to end the deadlock or bring goods from other countries. People have failed to realize that there is government in the country which is doing something to put balm on their wounds.

With the country united against India’s interference, this is time to exert pressure on the political parties and leaders, who it seems are working to fulfill the interest of India, at a time when people are facing numerous challenges ahead of their two big festivals. This is time for all political parties to take a stance for the sake of the country, so that they will get the peoples’ support on the long run. We should not let the leaders sell our sovereignty for the cost of their chair. We should continue our vigilance against India and our leaders who are supporting them. This is the era of social media and public pressure, so we all need to remain united against India’s interference and the leaders who are trying to please India for their personal gain at the cost of national interest.
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