Rastriya Swatantra Party Leader Balen Shah Addresses Rally in Surkhet, Focuses on Karnali's Potential and Neglect

Surkhet. Senior leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Balen Shah, addressed the 'Hami Aayau' (We Have Come) change declaration assembly in Birendranagar for exactly 3 minutes on Thursday.

However, his address encapsulated Karnali's civilization, distorted politics, and potential all at once.

Here is the full transcript of the address:

It gives me, along with all the members, chairpersons, ordinary members of our party, and all the residents of Karnali, great pleasure to come to Karnali and unveil the manifesto and commitment letter of the Rastriya Swatantra Party.

I am very happy to be in Karnali, the place of the country's largest lake, Rara Lake, which King Mahendra called the 'Apsara of Heaven'. This is the place with the country's longest river, the country's largest district, the country's largest rural municipality, and the country's deepest lake—a depth that no government, no party, this nation has understood to this day. We want to understand that depth. The party that wants to understand that depth is the Rastriya Swatantra Party.

Today, while Yarsagumba, considered the gold of Dolpa, can reach all over the world, Karnali's apples and Marshi rice cannot even reach Chitwan and Jhapa. The Rastriya Swatantra Party wants to be the party that ensures the products here reach at least across the entire country.

Sinja Valley itself is a place of civilization, the birthplace of the Nepali language, the birthplace of the Khas language. It has its own language, its own script, its own painting, its own dance and music, and its own festivals. All these things constitute a civilization. The Rastriya Swatantra Party wants to be the party that preserves that civilization.

Just as we have preserved the dance, music, script, musical instruments, and tangible and intangible heritage of our Newar civilization in Kathmandu Metropolitan City, the Rastriya Swatantra Party is the party that wants to preserve the civilization of Karnali in the same way.

There is still famine in the country. The mortality rate of children under four years old is still very high. The mortality rate of women, of mothers, is increasing, and that is in Karnali. Many leaders have come to sell the pain, poverty, and sorrow of Karnali, but very few leaders have come to understand that poverty—no one has come so far. The leaders of the Rastriya Swatantra Party want to become the leaders who understand that.

We want to increase tourism here, harness the potential here, boost agriculture here, farming here, and income generation here. We want to receive your blessings and, as I wrote on Facebook the other day, just like saying 'Now Karnali's dreams are our dreams,' we want to carry your dreams and leave from here. We have started carrying those dreams today through the commitment letter, declared from Karnali. From today onwards, all those dreams of yours will be our dreams. We want to leave here carrying those dreams. Thank you very much, Namaskar!