Ganesh Singh Thagunna Raises National and Border Issues in Parliament

Ganesh Singh Thagunna, elected as a Member of Parliament from Darchula, has reached the parliament for the third time. Thagunna, elected from CPN-UML, raises voices in parliament on issues of nationality and borders. Thagunna, who has also served as a former minister, consistently raises strong voices on the issues of Kalapani, Lipulek, and Limpiyadhura.

Thagunna, who has pledged to raise the voice of Darchula loudly in parliament, has stated that he will prioritize the development of Darchula, border security, roads, education, and health. Narendra Raula has interviewed Thagunna for Rato Pati's 'Meet the MP' column. Here is the edited excerpt of the conversation:

When Darchula is mentioned, most Nepalis remember Kalapani, Lipulek, and Limpiyadhura, which border India. You have been raising your voice in parliament on the issues of this region for a long time. Recently, the Prime Minister made a statement saying, 'Nepal has also encroached on India's border.' How do you view this?

The statement made by the Prime Minister in the house has been condemned by the entire country. It is a completely wrong, anti-national statement. Apart from the ruling party, our party and all political parties have been continuously raising our voices on this matter.

We have serious objections to the Prime Minister's statement. Since it poses a threat to Nepal's sovereignty, our territorial integrity, and our national dignity, we have been demanding that the Prime Minister immediately come to the parliament, apologize, and withdraw this statement, and have it removed from the parliamentary record. We have been continuously raising this issue in the parliament.

It has become public that India has built a road through Darchula's territory to Mansarovar. What is the current situation there?

They have already constructed a road in the land they have occupied. The Kailash Mansarovar yatra has also commenced from there.

There are complaints from the people of Darchula about the lack of roads and having to walk long distances to reach the district headquarters. What steps should the government take immediately in Darchula for this?

Two things need to be done for that. First, the government must take diplomatic initiatives to bring our approximately 400 square kilometers of land, which is under Indian occupation, under Nepal's administrative control. Second, apart from that, there are our villages near the encroached land; we have a responsibility to immediately provide road access to Changru and Tinkar in Ward No. 1 of Byas Rural Municipality and connect the people there to the mainstream of the state by operating a special Byas program. I had also presented an amendment in parliament during the discussion on the budget's policy and programs for this. It is the current need for the state and the government to do this immediately.

What are the hardships and problems faced by the residents of the border areas of Darchula?

There is a lot of work that the state needs to do in Darchula. The main problem there is connecting with the state. We still cannot connect by road transport. The budget is low, and I have been raising my voice in parliament repeatedly for that budget. If we can connect by road transport quickly, those villages will be connected to the state. Then, if the state operates special Byas programs to address all their problems, including education, health, drinking water, and food, the residents there will feel ease in their livelihoods.

Does Kathmandu feel Darchula's pain or not? What have you received for such a long time?

Everyone knows this; the situation so far is that naturally, that region has not received the priority it should have. Although some efforts were made in between, it has been declining in the last three to four years. Therefore, my demand has been that Kathmandu, Singha Durbar, the government, and all political parties should give special priority to that region.

What other issues do you want to raise in parliament?

The issue of nationality is paramount, followed by development construction issues, livelihood issues, and then the pains and inequalities faced by various segments of society. As much time as I get, I have been raising those issues and will continue to do so in the future.

What were your commitments during the election?

I did not make many commitments. I said we would complete the old ongoing development projects. I am being elected for the third time. Efforts are being made to complete those development projects. I had also promised to contribute significantly to the development of Darchula district by completing road transport and air transport, connecting roads in the municipalities, and completing the ongoing projects, and I am working on it.

What will you do to make your tenure fruitful and meaningful?

I am continuously working from my side. I am raising my voice in parliament. I recently met with the Minister of Tourism and requested him to open the multi-year tender for Gokuleshwor Airport. My continuous efforts are ongoing. Currently, the Rastriya Swatantra Party is in power, and we are in opposition. We will have to see in the future how much the government addresses our voices and how much it implements them. I will continue to make efforts from my side.

I have been raising the issues of development construction in the district the most. And secondly, on the issue of nationality, I have repeatedly raised the matter of our encroached land. I raised it this time, and I had raised it before. Besides that, I have been raising issues related to people's livelihoods.

Are you making efforts to bring the Gokuleshwor Airport back into operation?

I am doing so. Some amount has been allocated in the budget. I am working on that work today as well. There is a budget of only 13 crore for the Tinkar road this year. The Nepali Army has demanded a budget of at least 30-35 crore. We are also trying with the Finance Minister for the availability of that budget. I am also making efforts to open a multi-year tender for the Chamelia River motorable bridge in Dhanthala, which connects to the Mahakali corridor.

Out of the 9 municipalities, Api Himal Rural Municipality is not yet connected to the district headquarters. 5 crore has been allocated from the center this year to allocate a budget for it, and I am trying to move forward with the work under a multi-year contract. There are many other problems. Darchula is geographically remote and has a large area. There are many scattered settlements on hills and mountains. We still need to provide roads, bridges, drinking water, irrigation, electrification, telephone facilities, and many other facilities to many settlements. I am continuously working to solve those problems as much as possible.

Darchula has beautiful tourist areas like Api Himal. What plans are there for tourism development?

The government has allocated a budget for the development of tourism in the Api region. I would also like to thank the government for that. In the coming days, it needs to be operated on a larger scale as a national program, which will improve the overall development of Darchula and the living standards of the people of Darchula.

There is Malikarjun Dham; the state needs to allocate a budget for its tourism development. I have also been continuously making efforts to open the Tinkar pass as a route to Kailash Mansarovar. The immigration office has been approved, but it is yet to be established there. It would be good if we could establish an immigration office there and if the neighboring Chinese government also established immigration there.

Because it is the shortest route to Mansarovar. If we can legalize travel through that route, millions of Nepalis and Indian Hindu devotees will go to Kailash Mansarovar, which will develop tourism there. From my side, I am continuously working on these matters.

How can we connect with China?

The Tinkar pass is precisely for connecting with China. There is Taklakot mandi commercially. It is also a route to Kailash Mansarovar religiously and touristically. Therefore, if that pass is operational, we will connect both commercially and religiously/touristically.

What message do you want to give to the people of Darchula?

Although the government at the center is not from the party I am affiliated with, and we are numerically fewer in parliament, I want to convey to the people of Darchula that I will make sincere efforts within my capacity to address the problems of the people, the development construction issues of the district, and to complete the unfinished work that we started earlier, with the trust that the people have placed in me by electing me.