Rastriya Swatantra Party Convention Marred by Disorganization and Heat

Chitwan. The heat in Bharatpur has reached around 40 degrees Celsius.

The first national convention of the ruling party Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), which started on Asar 7, has not yet concluded even after four days. The closed session of RSP, which was grandly inaugurated on the first day in an open session at the Guest House ground in front of the District Police Office, appeared chaotic.

According to the convention schedule, a new leadership was supposed to be elected on Tuesday. However, due to the organizational weaknesses of the organizing committee, convention representatives from home and abroad became victims of the scorching heat. Representatives appeared very angry due to the leadership's lack of attention to issues such as selection of convention representatives, distribution of identity cards, updating of voter lists, and candidacy registration.

Representatives who came from the corners of the Himalayas, hills, and plains, having arranged for four days of accommodation and food, were seen to be more enraged than the Chitwan heat due to the immaturity of the organizing team. The election schedule has been revised for the fourth time. By the time the new leadership is chosen, about 25 percent of the representatives have already returned home. The organizers stated that the convention extending for two more days will incur an additional financial burden of approximately two crore rupees.  

The RSP leadership, which had declared its aim to end the country's irregularities and corruption and build a civilized society for about 35 years, has been fragmented by the disorganized convention. The common outcry of most of the participating representatives is – 'Does such a party exist? We don't recognize the leaders, nor does anyone answer the phone? Where do we go with our problems? The convention is about to end, and we still haven't received our identity cards. RSP got two-thirds majority only because of algorithms, Balen, and Rabi. The so-called new party is more disorganized than the old ones.'

On Wednesday, a representative expressed his anger, saying, 'Those who are in the central committee, those who are MPs, must be defeated at all costs. We must run a campaign to defeat them by forming teams, citing this expense and that expense.'

Representatives gathered at the Chitwan Industry Association exhibition hall, around 45 in number, to choose policy and leadership, were angry for three days without receiving identity cards. They would express their pain to the Election Commission sometimes and to the party leadership at other times. Bindu Chaulagai, who came from Dolakha, could not even enter the closed session due to not having an identity card. Even though the Election Commission said 'your name is there, it will be made', she missed the closed session.

'My card hasn't been made yet. The Election Commission said it would come, and since my name is there, I have been waiting outside,' she said.

Chaulagai said that it was not just her problem but the problem of many. Most of the representatives were sitting outside, avoiding the heat, while inside, chairman Rabi Lamichhane was reading the political report. It seemed as if it was not a convention's closed session but an open session. Due to the poor sound system, even those inside could not understand the audio. Krishna Belbase, who came to the convention from Rupandehi, said that although the leadership was presenting reports inside, he had come out for fresh air due to the heat.

'Reports are being presented inside. There are many people, so it's hot. That's why I came out for fresh air,' Belbase said.

 Convention representatives were seen in distress, going back and forth between the commission and the closed session hall to update their voter lists. A member of the commission expressed frustration, stating that the problem was due to the party leaders.

'It was said there would be three thousand representatives. As they kept adding, it reached 45 hundred. If all these hassles had been filtered at the district level, this anger would not be visible now. No matter how much we say, since the leaders don't understand, we have left it to them to add as many as they want,' the member said.

Although the convention appeared to be heading towards intense disputes, no leader from the leadership level showed initiative to mediate. Representatives were dissatisfied with the organizing committee for not providing good management despite charging a high entrance fee. As dissatisfaction grew due to the scorching heat and chaotic management, Chairman Rabi Lamichhane announced the refund of five thousand rupees. While presenting the report in the closed session on Tuesday, he said that it is not acceptable to be held hostage by putting a thumbprint on someone just because they got you a membership.

'If someone is using wrong methods to bring you inside this hall, and you are responsible for that, then you are adopting the wrong path. You must be responsible to this country and the entire party,' he said. Rabi urged not to fall for some rumors spread at the convention.

He said, 'I have heard some rumors at the convention. I have received information about not giving positions to ministers, not giving to MPs, and giving to newcomers. Please do not be under any illusion about this; the party has not made any decision.'

A former official of the RSP commission raised a question about which of the three trends seen in politics the party was heading towards. 'There is the Oli trend, which concentrated power by sidelining a certain group. What is its condition now? The Prachanda trend – where has it reached today while trying to unite everyone? Another is the Deuba trend – always staying in power by playing a divisive role within the party, where has he reached? Which of these three paths is RSP heading towards?' was his question.

General Secretary Kabhindra Burlakoti admitted that there were organizational weaknesses in the convention. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, he acknowledged that the weaknesses were due to a lack of experience as it is a new party. 'As far as I am concerned, I was not a member of any party in the past. This is my first party. We had no experience with conventions. We are learning gradually. Such weaknesses will not occur next time,' he said.

RSP, which emerged in 2079 BS questioning old parties, unexpectedly won 20 seats. Last August, the Janji movement displaced the old government. In the elections held in February, it won two-thirds, i.e., 182 seats, and is leading the government.

RSP, which received nearly two-thirds of the votes than predicted, appears to be in trouble. Angry cadres have started saying – 'If they cannot manage the internal affairs properly, how will they manage the country?' Those who came from Japan, the Middle East, Europe, and America to vote in the first convention are returning disappointed.

Another General Secretary, Bhupadev Shah, said that since the public has given unexpected votes, the party must now be organized and taken forward. 'We thought we would become a big party. But the public gave us two-thirds of the votes we never expected. We must organize the party and take it forward according to the public mandate,' Shah said.

Meanwhile, today there is a program for voting for the post of central member in the convention. Although voting was scheduled to start at 8:30 AM, the voting time has been changed again. Voting will now take place from 10 PM tonight. The Election Commission has stated that the voting will continue until 10 AM tomorrow. Bhuvan KC, chief of the Election Commission, informed that technicians for the electronic machines are working for this.

A total of 384 people have registered their candidacies for 99 central member posts.

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