Congress Provincial Rally in Karnali Sees Lower Turnout Amid Absence of Key Leaders

Surkhet. The Nepali Congress's Karnali Province-level election rally lasted nearly two hours. Security agencies report an attendance of between 4,000 and 4,500 people at the rally held at the Clock Tower in the provincial capital, Birendranagar.

In contrast, the rally held earlier by the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) saw an attendance of nearly 11,000. The turnout for the Congress election rally appeared weak compared to the RSP's event.

In the past, former acting President of the Congress, Purna Bahadur Khadka, was central to election rallies. This time, Khadka, who stepped away from the electoral field, was absent even from the rally in his home province.

Khadka, who went to the Supreme Court over the issue of official recognition following the special general convention, announced that he would ethically not contest the election while the case is sub judice.

Although he appealed for the victory of the Congress, he was not seen at the provincial rally in Karnali, yet Karnali workers were seen looking for him. Ratopati asked a few people at the rally site about past and present election rallies, and many responded that the absence of the guardian leader of Karnali made it feel like 'something was missing'.

'The attendance is good, but our province's biggest leader was not seen at the rally; his absence is certainly felt,' said one participant on condition of anonymity, adding, 'It's difficult to speak openly right now!' Although Khadka was absent, another leader, Hridayaram Thani, appeared on the stage. He has also stepped down from the electoral field this time.

After these two 'heavyweight' leaders of the Congress in Karnali left the electoral arena, new faces are candidates in most constituencies except Dailekh-2. In Surkhet-1, where Khadka used to contest, his brother Bishnu Kumar Khadka is the candidate, and in Surkhet-2, where Thani used to contest, Narayan Koirala, considered a Thani supporter, is the candidate.

While leaders and cadres remembered Purna Bahadur, Congress President Gagan Kumar Thapa, who arrived at Khadka's stronghold, did not even mention his name.

Thapa, who spoke for about 25 minutes, was not heard discussing Khadka or his contributions. Although Thapa became the President after the special general convention, Karnali had stood against the special general convention (most delegates).

Khadka was in line to become President through a regular general convention, and Karnali leaders were discussing him as a future Prime Minister. However, Thapa and his faction organized a special general convention, putting a full stop to Khadka's political journey.

Vice President Pushpa Bhusal, however, did mention Khadka's name. Discussing development, Bhusal said, 'Our leader Purna Bahadur Khadka has done a lot of development in Surkhet; Thani and Shiva Raj Dai have also contributed equally.'

Although the Congress claimed transformation, the election rally and stage setup appeared traditional. Most leaders on stage were adorned with garlands like grooms. Except for Hridayaram Thani, everyone's neck was filled with marigold garlands.

However, leaders like Bhupendra Jung Shahi, who did not openly support the special convention, were not seen at the rally site.

Admitting Own Weaknesses, Criticizing Others

President Gagan Kumar Thapa, who spoke continuously for about 25 minutes at the rally, admitted many shortcomings of the Congress in the past and criticized other parties, especially the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) and the former Maoists, in almost every word.

The reason for criticizing the Maoists and the RSP was that the RSP had previously held its provincial election rally in the same location. Thapa criticized RSP Chairman Rabi Lamichhane and Senior Leader Balen Shah's statements about Karnali with counter-questions.

The reason for criticizing the Maoists is that Karnali was the epicenter of the armed conflict, and its influence still remains strong. The influence of the Communist Party of Nepal, transformed from the Maoists, is still strong in all 12 constituencies of the 10-district Karnali. It is estimated that the party will win the most seats in the election to be held on Falgun 21.

In this situation, Thapa attempted to garner public support by criticizing the Maoists for not achieving much in the past. Thapa interpreted the ten-year Maoist armed conflict as 'violence.'

'The pain Karnali suffered at that time was violence; coming out of those sufferings was the biggest thing,' he said. 'We suffered a lot; after moving past all those experiences, when the country needed to gain momentum, some mistake was made by us.'

Thapa stated that the culture of alliances has somehow made politics dirty, adding, 'We will clean that up now.'

Thapa also mentioned that the Maoists killed people in Karnali during the war. 'Those who made fake refugee documents and went abroad to enjoy themselves while the Maoists were killing people in Karnali yesterday are now coming among us, roaming around, and saying they will perform magic in five years; Karnali should at least not believe them,' he criticized the Maoists and targeted RSP Chairman Rabi Lamichhane. 'At least don't believe them, Congress friends, there is a lot of noise and a big buzz. The buzz is on social media. It has reached every village, not just the cities.'

Targeting the support the RSP is receiving from those living abroad, Thapa claimed that if the Congress leads the government for five years, it will investigate every scandal that occurred or was rumored after 2046 BS.

'If a member of my own family was involved in such a scandal, that one person will not be spared,' he added. He also urged people not to waste another five years by voting for other parties.

Thapa recalled that the Maoists also once claimed they were new and would perform miracles in five years. 'Didn't we see when the Maoists were giving speeches in villages across Karnali, saying that others had looted state power for many years, and now we will come and everything will be a miracle in a democratic government?'

He urged people not to fall into the maze again as other parties have also come claiming to be new. He expressed apprehension that the agitation seen among the Gen Z could happen again due to the two extremist ideologies.

He also declared that since the Congress has come with a commitment, if given the leadership of the country for five years from 2082 to 2087 BS, it would make Nepal's history the most golden era.

'We have come with a dream and a resolution,' he continued. 'There is hunger in the stomach and dreams in the eyes. We are ready to fly, but we have not left the ground.'

What was said about Karnali's prosperity?

RSP Senior Leader Balen Shah had given a 3-minute speech about Karnali previously. Shah's speech, full of praise, was well-received in Karnali. Congress President Thapa targeted Shah's speech with critical commentary.

'One can say Karnali is heaven, a storehouse of grain, one can tell the story of apples,' Thapa questioned the words covered by Shah, 'While saying that, why is Karnali still suffering from nearly 40 percent poverty?'

Like Shah, he also spoke about Karnali's malnutrition problem and added, 'After I come, everything will be fine, and I can escape by saying that the previous ones did nothing, but the answer does not solve the problem; one must reach the root.'

Thapa called the development of Karnali expensive and stated that the development model for Karnali and Kathmandu cannot be the same. He pointed out the weak revenue base of the Karnali Provincial Government and said that some laws need to be changed for Karnali's development.

'I suggest using five years to bring changes to the constitution and laws. A friend comes to the stage and speaks, 'What did you do all these years?' It's so easy,' Thapa said, targeting Ravi.

Furthermore, Thapa questioned the complaint that budget did not come to Karnali, along with the fact that the allocated money was not even spent. 'Less than 60 percent of the funds received by Karnali have been spent,' he added.

He stated that changes are needed in the current system of bringing and spending the budget.

Claim to Seek Votes for National Transformation

Congress Vice President Pushpa Bhusal stated that she came to seek votes for the transformation of the country. She wished for Karnali's prosperity to reach Mugu Rara.

She said that the Congress is seeking votes with the dream of prosperity and that Congress will no longer accept any corrupt individuals.

She also shared Congress's plan to make Karnali a tourism zone. She commented on the RSP, saying she had to compete with a party that has no ideology.

She asked the people of Karnali to vote for the Congress President to take the reins of the country, as they have put Gagan forward as the Prime Ministerial candidate.

In 2079 BS, the Congress won 4 seats in Karnali with the strength of the alliance.