Party Faces Serious Political Crossroads After Election Results

Following the unexpected, unnatural, and artificial results of the recently concluded elections, the country's overall politics stands at a serious juncture. These elections have dealt a severe blow not only to our party but to all democratic forces, the patriotic movement, and the national campaign for good governance and development. In such an extremely complex and sensitive situation where national sovereignty is under attack, this important gathering organized by the Organization Department holds special meaning and significance.

I am fully confident that this meeting and gathering will tear down the veil of confusion, ambiguity, and artificial illusions that are currently arising in Nepali politics. This discussion will provide clear ideological direction to the leaders and cadres of the party at all levels, and will provide the energy to return to their respective fields of work with new confidence, new enthusiasm, and indomitable zeal.

At this special moment today, I will primarily delve into the election results, the overall political situation of the country, the misuse of state machinery, and the underlying reasons behind all these developments. We must conduct a ruthless self-reflection on the organizational life of the party, the subtle but serious problems that have appeared within the organization, and how to make the organization as strong as steel to face the great challenges of the coming days. The Organization Department chief and Comrade General Secretary will shed detailed light on these organizational aspects and division of work, and present conclusions in the closed session later. My focus, however, will remain on the distorted face of national politics and our party's stance within it.

• Events of Bhadra 23-24: A Criminal Conspiracy Woven in the Guise of Revolution

In the recent period of Nepali politics, some are trying to label the events of Bhadra 23 and 24 as 'movement' and others as 'revolution'. This is natural, as those who commit criminal activities always use the cloak of 'revolution' to hide their crimes. What else would they call the act of shedding the blood of youth and young people, plotting their murder, and spreading terror in the country! The tendency to concoct criminal plans oneself, take the benefits, and then blame others has become a cancer in Nepali politics.

However, the reality is that the events of Bhadra 23 and 24 were not a spontaneous popular movement or revolution. It was entirely a conspiratorial and pre-planned criminal incident. This is not just my personal assertion. The National Human Rights Commission, a responsible state body, has clearly stated in the summary of its recently published report that the events of Bhadra 23 and 24 were pre-planned and sponsored incidents with a deep conspiracy woven beforehand.

Against whom was that conspiracy? Clearly, it was against democracy and primarily against us. Because we were in an extremely strong position democratically and constitutionally. We were leading a government elected by the mandate of the people, with an overwhelming majority. Many attempts were made to overthrow that people-elected government through constitutional, legal, and parliamentary means. All tricks within the parliament failed. When it was not possible to displace the government through democratic methods, unconstitutional, undemocratic, and criminal means were resorted to, taking recourse to violence and arson in the country.

Preparations and training for that riot had been going on for a long time. Destructive training was imparted on how to set fire to roads, how to manufacture highly flammable materials, how to make petrol bombs, and how to make even a normal fire burn at extremely high temperatures.

Google Maps was used to carry out arson incidents nationwide. Where is the house of which leader? Where is which business establishment? The Parliament Building, Singha Durbar, and the Supreme Court were visible to all, but the private residences of leaders and citizens' properties were hidden in alleys and neighborhoods. Maps of such places were located using Google Maps and distributed to the attackers. This was not an accidental outburst of anger; it was the result of planned preparation from the previous day.

• Character Assassination and State-Sanctioned Anarchy

Another aspect of this conspiracy was psychological warfare. An organized gang was mobilized to figure out how to make popular leaders unpopular, what false accusations to fabricate against them, and how to sow illusions in society. Nepal's civilized culture and traditions were openly attacked. Crude language, low-level style, and disrespectful speech, words, and behavior were displayed. If anyone spoke a word in favor of truth, a cyber gang was deployed against them to make extremely shameful and obscene comments. This series had started even before the events of Bhadra, and ironically, it continues to this day under state protection.

I say 'state-sanctioned' because today the situation in the country is such that if an ordinary woman speaks out against injustice, the police administration summons and scolds her. The state machinery itself uses crude language and behavior. Misusing state power, the victim is threatened and made to say 'I didn't know, I made a mistake' and apologize, and is released only after signing a document. Those who commit misdeeds are trying to get away clean under the state's protection. This is not a hidden truth.

While such activities used to happen unhindered in the past, they are now happening even more systematically and with bias. Complaints are being filed against those who hold views disliked by the ruling party, arrests are made without evidence, and false cases are filed by the state machinery itself. On the other hand, the state is not registering complaints, not investigating them, and granting impunity to those close to the ruling party or the government, no matter what heinous crimes they commit.

From this very platform, I want to give a clear warning to the state machinery and the individuals in charge – time and circumstances do not always remain the same. Do not go too far in the intoxication of power and authority. History is a witness; the 104-year-old autocratic Rana regime fell, the 30-year Panchayat autocracy fell, the 240-year-old monarchy ended. Many powerful regimes have vanished into the abyss of history, so how long can this current 'anarchic regime' last? It cannot last for a very long time.

• Constitutional Deviation and a Rubber-Stamp President

The state itself is trying to pass off the nationwide riot and arson of Bhadra 23 and 24 as a minor incident. This is not a small matter. That attack was not just an attack on physical property; it was a conspiracy hatched to neutralize the patriotic movement, the country's sovereignty, democracy, and the campaign for good governance. Because CPN-UML stood at the forefront of this campaign, we were subjected to the most brutal attack and suffered the greatest damage.

The nationwide terror frightened the citizens. When the state's presence is not seen for two to four days to extinguish the fire burning in citizens' homes amidst threats like 'I will set your house on fire, I will not spare you', it is natural for citizens to be terrified. Exploiting this psychology of fear, the people-elected government was overthrown through democratic means, and an unconstitutional government was established.

The subsequent series of events is even more frightening. At the illegal recommendation of the unconstitutional government, the people-elected House of Representatives was illegally dissolved by the President. No consultation was held with political parties. Disregarding the constitution and laws, and based solely on the orders of a few individuals from the streets – who had no constitutional standing – such a serious step as dissolving parliament was taken. Whom should the state machinery consult? By taking the wrong path, the political and constitutional environment of the country has become completely toxic today.

The President, who should be the protector and guardian of the constitution, has now become a complete rubber stamp. Under which article of the constitution was the current prime minister appointed? Is the constitution not needed to run the country? Governments are formed against the constitution, parliament is dissolved against the constitution, and the respected President proudly says, 'I saved democracy with great ingenuity'? What a tragedy! The tendency to not do what should be done and to sign unconstitutional acts that should not be done has trampled the dignity of respected institutions.

This attempt to finish democracy step by step in the name of 'great ingenuity' is never acceptable to CPN-UML. Our party is not one that falters out of fear. We are fully committed to the country, the people, democracy, and good governance, and we will move forward with the spirit of sacrifice and dedication as in the past.

• The Election Farce and Artificial Results

From the beginning, we adopted the policy of restoring the House of Representatives, rejecting the unconstitutional government and its unauthorized dissolution of parliament. However, unfortunately, a faction within our own party could not grasp the depth of this conspiracy in time. Due to their hesitation, there was some कमी in the activeness with which we should have protested.

On the other hand, other political parties did not understand the seriousness of the situation. They were under the illusion that a truly democratic election was happening, saying 'election, election'. But it was not an election; it was merely an 'election spectacle' and a drama staged to bring about a predetermined result. In which democracy in the world does a country get run by inexperienced individuals who don't understand politics, by prohibiting parties? Have new parties taken over the country overnight in America? The Democratic and Republican parties are competing. Have new parties seized power overnight in India or China? Certainly not. We do not view the emergence of new parties with intolerance, but this electoral farce in the guise of democracy is a matter for serious investigation.

The rigging in the election was such that the ink used on the finger for voting, which would not come off without cutting the nail, had already worn off by the time one reached the nearest house after voting. What would have happened to the ink of the stamp on the ballot paper? This is a matter for serious investigation. We have contested many elections and understand the pulse of the people. A candidate knows most of their voters personally. However, an unnatural situation was created where individuals unknown to the candidate, whose candidacies were even rejected, won with double the votes. This was part of a predetermined plan.

Nevertheless, we have accepted this artificial result and are playing a constructive role as the opposition in parliament. The fact that we have gone to parliament does not mean we are blindly believing in this conspiracy. We have opened our eyes, evaluated the entire reality, and are fighting for nationality, democracy, and good governance from within parliament.

• Politics of Vengeance and the Deception of Fake Commissions

Even before the formation of the unconstitutional government, its planners had already prepared a list of whom to take action against. As a continuation of that, a commission was formed under the leadership of Gauribahadur Karki. Karki himself had publicly stated before that 'certain leaders must be punished'. For that prejudiced statement, he was made the chairman of the commission.

As I said at the beginning – this commission is fake. It is not a commission formed to investigate facts and truths, but a gang that received the 'task' of framing opposition leaders while pretending to investigate. Therefore, I did not recognize that commission and refused to testify. But they falsely propagated that 'testimony was given' to cover their shame.

Now, another so-called committee on prevention of money laundering has been formed. This is not a constitutional or legal body. Just as King Gyanendra formed a royal commission after the 'coup' of Magh 19 to suppress his opponents, this is exactly the same type of move. When permanent and legal bodies like the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority, courts, etc., exist in the country, why is this new committee needed, ignoring them? Its sole purpose is to selectively frame leaders of CPN-UML and other old parties. I want to clarify that we do not recognize such unconstitutional and vengeful commissions. I will not go to testify there and will not send my property details. Let the state do whatever it can. This is not a state machinery; it is a bundle of prejudice and vengeance.

After setting fire to my house and turning all my property to ashes, the state is asking me for property details! What details should I provide? Should I provide the ashes from that fire? The state should investigate those who have amassed illicit wealth, but here the victim is being harassed.

The Gauribahadur Karki Commission is supposed to investigate the events of Bhadra 23! Even though the murder plot was their plan. Who fired the shots? The state does not know to this day. I was in Baluwatar at the time of the incident, and the then Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak was also not at the scene. We had given clear instructions to the security forces to prevent potential casualties and maintain peace and order. But under what circumstances the security personnel fired is a matter of investigation. If the state's weapons were misused, why were those who fired not arrested? Why was there no investigation? There is no trace of the shooter, but KP Oli must be framed!

The extreme of this vengeance was seen during a very sad moment in my personal life. After the election, my revered father passed away. I was in the thirteen-day mourning period. The day after I finished the thirteenth day's rituals, the government was formed. And the first cabinet meeting of the new government decided overnight to arrest me and the then Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak. Without any basis, based on that baseless and prejudiced report of Gauribahadur Karki, we were arrested.

We opposed the extension of remand in court. We stated what was not lawful. But I do not want to criticize the court too much, yet the court extended the remand three times for such an illegal arrest. The writ of habeas corpus filed in the respected Supreme Court was rejected. For thirteen days, despite the state machinery using all its power, not a single basis or evidence was found to file a case against us. Finally, after thirteen days, the government was forced to release me with honor. This incident has exposed the current government's intention and method of justice delivery. We expect fair justice from the courts, because the dignity of the court increases through the administration of justice.

• The Helplessness of the 'Gandiva Wielder': Failure of the State Machinery

A passage from the Mahabharata war is relevant here. When the Yadava dynasty ended with the occurrence of the Musal after Krishna's demise, Arjuna took the responsibility of safely escorting the surviving women and children to Hastinapur. On the way, they were attacked by robbers. Arjuna tried to string his famous 'Gandiva' bow. He warned the robbers, saying, 'I am that Arjuna, the Gandiva wielder, who won the great war of Mahabharata. Ordinary robbers like you cannot stop me.'

But tragically, Arjuna's Gandiva did not move that day. He became helpless.

In the events of Bhadra 23-24, our situation was like that of Arjuna after the Mahabharata. We had the mandate of the people, political success like winning the Mahabharata, but the 'Gandiva' in the form of the state machinery we were operating proved completely helpless before the chaotic Bhills. The state machinery could not protect the citizens. In such a situation, it was not possible to stop such a large and organized conspiracy by the party alone by protesting on the streets.

Therefore, the first thing we need to understand now is – at what level, how deep, and how organized an attack is being carried out against us by our opponents. A detailed analysis must be made of how social media and some media are being used as weapons against us.

• Ideological Clarity and Party Unity in the Light of Jajab (People's Multy-Party Democracy)

How to face this all-round attack? There is only one infallible weapon for this – the strong unity of the party. This unity should not be of self-interest, but of correct ideology and policy. Our political policies and analyses are completely correct. We must unite based on those ideologies.

Anarchy where some within the party turn east, some west, a decision is made, but something else is said outside is no longer acceptable. The organization can remain tight and disciplined only within the framework of the party's constitution, rules, methods, and disciplinary boundaries. At present, under the guise of 'review', tendencies to spread unnecessary confusion, draw hasty conclusions, and form factions are appearing within the party. Actions like running signature campaigns by disregarding institutional processes do not strengthen the party either ideologically or organizationally. The national need at this time is for the entire party rank and file to unite as one, putting aside all grudges.

People's Multy-Party Democracy (Jajab) continuously guides us. Jajab, propounded by Comrade Madan Bhandari in the 1990s, is still relevant today after 36 years. But it is not a dogma. We have updated and made Jajab timely through 36 years of democratic practice.

Marxism, propounded by Karl Marx in the context of Europe, could not be directly applied to the soil of Nepal. Therefore, we have creatively applied Marxism according to Nepali specificity and developed circumstances. Our policies and strategies today have been determined in the light of that revised Jajab, and we must move forward on this basis. The Tenth General Convention clearly set the main slogan: 'Let's end right-wing opportunism and organizational anarchism.' But we could not effectively carry out the work of party purification. By tolerating tendencies that weaken the party, the party's edge has become blunt today. This mistake must not be repeated.

• Bidya Bhandari's Membership: Continuity or New Entry?

Some people who do not understand are creating unnecessary controversy inside and outside the party regarding Bidya Bhandari ji's party membership renewal. There is a limit to not understanding! Naturally, she was not a member of the party while holding the dignified post of President. There is no question of renewing the membership of someone who is not a member. Therefore, the Central Committee, in accordance with the constitution, had requested her to apply anew. She applied, and the committee granted her membership.

Bidya Bhandari has been active in the leftist movement since 2034 BS and has been an unbroken party member since 2037 BS. She did not resign her membership because she disagreed with the party's policies or ideology. Due to the constitutional obligation for the President to be above parties, independent, neutral, and accountable to the entire country and constitution, she had resigned from her party membership. It was not permissible for the President to act on the party's directives and whip. It is a very natural legal and political process to return to one's old home after the term ends and receive continuity of the old membership.

However, it is laughable that even such a simple matter is misunderstood, and a section within the party celebrates as if they have won like Alexander the Great after the membership was granted. This is not a matter of defeat or victory for any faction. Therefore, I urge all comrades to stop nitpicking, finding fault, and getting swayed by such trivial and meaningless matters.

• Resolution for an Unwavering Journey

Finally, I want to appeal once again to the entire party rank and file – we are clear in our ideology, let us now unite in practice and organization. Let us not encourage lawlessness and anarchy. We have the great responsibility of protecting nationality, strengthening democracy, and ensuring the rights of the people. No matter how much they try to intimidate us by misusing state power, no matter how many bundles of lies are prepared, the victory of truth is inevitable.

I call upon all comrades to be ready for the coming struggles with high morale, iron discipline, and guided by Jajab.

(Edited excerpt of the speech delivered at the Membership Renewal and Expansion Motivation Workshop organized by the Organization Department of CPN-UML in Kathmandu on Wednesday)