Nepali Congress General Secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa has said that the biggest challenge to federalism in Nepal is not the provinces but the federal government itself.
Speaking at a program in Kathmandu on Friday, Thapa said that although the country has already adopted federalism, the federal government has yet to fully embrace it. He recalled that when the Congress and UML formed the current government, constitutional amendment was placed as the first priority, and stressed that there should be no backing away now under the pretext of numbers or other excuses. He emphasized that major political forces must be willing to take risks to move the amendment process forward.
Thapa remarked, “In constitutional amendment, we cannot say this or that or hide behind numbers. There is risk, and risks must be taken. The main political forces must take responsibility. Since both Congress and UML acknowledged the need for constitutional amendment while forming this government, this debate must move ahead. We can discuss how to proceed, but the debate itself cannot be ignored. Let us merge the positions of Vice President and National Assembly Chair, bring commissions under the National Human Rights Commission, and abolish the District Coordination Committees. The real problem in federalism is not the provinces but the center itself. Nepal has entered federalism, but the center has not transformed accordingly.”
He also underlined the need to make Parliament more inclusive, ensure that one political party leads the country for a full five-year term, and hold discussions on reforming the judiciary. He noted that never before had there been so many questions raised against the courts.
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