Indigenous Peoples' Federation Condemns Remarks by Rastriya Swatantra Party Candidate in Chitwan

The District Council Secretariat of the Indigenous Peoples' Federation of Nepal in Chitwan has drawn attention to the statement made by Sobita Gautam, a leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP).

Issuing a press release on Monday, Chairman Sagar Kumal stated that attention has been drawn to the insulting remarks made by Gautam, who is also a candidate for the House of Representatives from Chitwan Constituency No. 3.

Chairman Kumal stated that the Federation in Chitwan has taken serious note of the extremely irresponsible, misleading, and insulting statement made by candidate Gautam during a recent election rally, targeting the indigenous communities of Chitwan (especially the Gurung and Tharu communities).

'The derogatory comment made by candidate Gautam during her address, labeling the brave, honest, and conscious indigenous communities of this region as a class that can be 'bought with money' and 'can be sold,' has not only hurt the sentiments of the indigenous communities who have been struggling for their identity, self-respect, and rights for years, but it is also a serious attack on our political consciousness and judgment,' the press release signed by Chairman Kumal stated.

The issued statement mentioned that classifying communities like Gurung and Tharu as 'simple' and 'sellable for money' exposes the candidate's narrow-minded and racist thinking.

The press release also mentioned that indigenous peoples are not a group to be swayed by any temptation but are a conscious society carrying their own history and pride.

The Federation strongly demands that Gautam publicly apologize to all indigenous communities in Chitwan and submit a written clarification within 24 hours for inciting economic transactions by telling voters to 'take the money if offered,' which is a clear violation of the election code of conduct and a mockery of democratic values.

'If the candidate and the concerned party do not admit their mistake and continue to hurt the self-respect of the indigenous peoples, we warn that we will mobilize all mechanisms of the Indigenous Peoples' Federation of Nepal, Chitwan Constituency No. 3, to boycott the candidate and move forward with strong protest programs,' the press release stated. 'The candidate and her party must be held responsible for any resulting situation. No one has the right to tamper with our self-respect and identity.'