Rastriya Prajatantra Party Leader Gyan Bahadur Shahi Questions Policies Favoring the Wealthy

Kathmandu. Rastriya Prajatantra Party Parliamentary Party Leader Gyan Bahadur Shahi has questioned whether Kathmandu city and state policies are only for the rich and powerful, or also for the poor. Speaking in the House of Representatives meeting on Friday, MP Shahi raised serious questions about the state's sensitivity regarding the self-immolation by 25-year-old youth Ganesh Nepali in front of the Department of Passports in Mugu and his subsequent death.

Asking Prime Minister Balen Shah, Shahi said, ‘Is this Kathmandu city only for billionaires and millionaires? Is this city for the poor, the distressed, the laborers, and the voiceless people or not? If this is the capital of Nepal, why can't the proletariat class live here?’ 

Stating that it has become difficult for the poor and working class to live in Kathmandu lately, he added, ‘The government is not needed by billionaires, the government is needed by the voiceless and the neglected. But today, the government's laws, rules, and decisions are focused only on the wealthy.’

Mentioning that Ganesh Nepali committed self-immolation due to a fine of 10,000 rupees for motorcycle parking and the resulting mental stress, Shahi termed it a murder caused by state policy. ‘Should a youth have to die for not being able to pay a fine of 10,000 rupees? What kind of justice is this?’ Shahi said. 

Shahi also sharply criticized the working style of Home Minister Sudhan Gurung. He accused the Home Minister of running around airports and streets like a movie hero with media and cameras, but failing to save the lives of the people. ‘Home Minister, are you a Home Minister or a content creator? Stunts done to get likes and views on camera do not save people's lives,’ he said, ‘If Ganesh Nepali had been taken to Delhi in time with an air ambulance, he would be alive today.’

The issue that Nepali citizens are paying more than 40 percent tax on average but are not receiving basic facilities like education, health, and safe roads from the state has also been raised in parliament. 

‘We pay more tax than European countries, but receive facilities below the level of Somalia,’ Shahi said, ‘A state that collects taxes up to 296 percent cannot arrange parking, and then drives the poor off the streets.’