Nepali Congress Cites Policy Ownership Failure and Misinformation as Reasons for Election Setback

Kathmandu. The Nepali Congress has cited its failure to take ownership of its successful policies and its inability to counter the opposition's misleading propaganda as reasons for the unsatisfactory results in the February 21 elections. The party's preliminary review report reflected on the development of the private sector, the compulsion of foreign employment, and its relationship with Non-Resident Nepalis (NRNs).

The report asserts that the widespread presence of the private sector in Nepal today is a direct result of the policies adopted by the Congress. The report claims that the expansion of everything from shoe manufacturing to electricity generation, banks, hospitals, and media outlets was made possible by Congress's liberal economic policies. However, Congress concluded that it faced criticism instead of credit because it failed to convey the simple fact to the public that the government should encourage the private sector, not manufacture shoes itself. The report states, 'The private sector holds two-thirds of the share in electricity generation, but instead of taking credit for this, we became victims of criticism.'

Similarly, the Congress considered the psychology spread by the opposition regarding foreign employment as a link in its defeat. The Congress determined that the opposition influenced voters by hiding the reality that foreign employment was a contemporary necessity for Nepal and by using emotional and attractive slogans such as 'Foreign employment will end if we win the election.' The review noted that the party failed to explain the real economic and social aspects when it was portrayed as the 'culprit' for foreign employment.

The Congress also pointed out its weakness concerning Non-Resident Nepalis. Congress admitted its failure to counter the negative psychology prevalent in the diaspora that 'nothing is happening in Nepal and everything is bad.'

Although the Congress stood firm on constitutional arrangements and electoral commitments to provide citizenship to Non-Resident Nepalis, it interpreted its failure to win the 'hearts and votes' of Nepalis living abroad as an organizational weakness.