Prime Minister Sushila Karki
KATHMANDU: Two months have passed since Sushila Karki assumed leadership of the interim government. One of her main responsibilities is holding the election for the House of Representatives scheduled for March 5. However, she has yet to establish smooth relations with the major political parties, which are key stakeholders in the election process.
Karki assumed the office in Singha Durbar following the Gen Z uprising of September 8 and 9. At that time, top leaders of the political parties were under military protection. However, even after political leaders returned to normal routines, relations between Karki and the top leaders of major political parties have not improved.
The Prime Minister has called for talks with political parties only twice. She invited both representatives from Gen Z and political leaders to the meeting. The top leaders – UML Chairperson KP Sharma Oli, Nepali Communist Party (NCP) Coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and Nepali Congress (NC) Acting President Purna Bahadur Khadka – did not attend that meeting.
During the meeting, leaders complained that the Prime Minister had failed to perform as expected and had bypassed the political parties.
PM Karki has invited party leaders for a dialogue on Wednesday as well. But the top leaders have once again decided not to attend.
Sources say NC General Secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa and Spokesperson Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat, UML Deputy General Secretary Pradeep Gyawali and leader Mahesh Bartuala; and Rajendra Pandey and Barsha Man Pun from the NCP are participating in the meeting. The main agenda of the meeting is the upcoming elections, according to a member of the Prime Minister’s Secretariat.
According to party leaders, Prime Minister Karki does not seem keen on engaging in dialogue with the parties. The previous NC–UML coalition government was widely blamed for triggering the Gen Z movement. Once the party leaders, who had virtually disappeared during the protests, returned to the public, they suddenly became sharply critical of the government. After becoming Prime Minister, Karki moved to investigate corruption and the Gen Z movement itself. She formed an inquiry commission under former Judge Gauri Bahadur Karki. Party leaders have questioned the selection of Judge Karki, who had targeted party leaders in his social media posts during the Gen Z protest, for the position.
Amit Khanal, a Gen Z activist, said they have urged PM Karki not to meet top party leaders. “NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba, Oli, and Dahal are running their parties in an autocratic manner. Talking with them will not provide a way out. That is why we do not want to meet them,” Khanal said.
Political analyst Dambar Khatiwada says it is natural for the parties to be frustrated with a non-partisan government after losing power.
Political leaders have been making pointed remarks about the House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5. The UML and some other parties are calling for the reinstatement of the House, arguing that the government will not be able to hold elections on the set date. The NC also looks committed to the agenda of reinstatement. Leaders from these parties say they will participate if elections are held, but they doubt the possibility. “The chances that this government can conduct elections are extremely slim. For that reason, we should not be chasing an election,” UML leader Bartuala said.
As part of her political discussions, Prime Minister Karki met some NC leaders on Tuesday. According to Sandeep Nirola, a central member of the Nepal Tarun Dal – the youth wing of NC, they discussed contemporary political developments and the upcoming elections with the Prime Minister.
During the meeting, the youth leaders urged the Prime Minister to hold elections on time by taking all political parties into confidence. Leaders like Devraj Chalise, Gururaj Ghimire, Rajendra Bajgain, Ujjwal Baral, Resham Baniya, Tekraj Paudel, Chhedup Lama and Sandeep Nirola, among others, were present in the meeting.
