Why RJP So Lethargic?

Why RJP So Lethargic?

Siddhi B Ranjitkar

Rastriya Janata Party (RJP) has neither joined the local election nor tried to stop it. RJP did not even launch a peaceful protest against the election. So, every logical thinking person would ask why RJP has been so impotent politically. Maybe, it has hundreds of reasons but some of them are stated as follow.

First, RJP is a newly created party of six different political parties each one of the leaders of which wanted to be the top leader of the RJP but none of them could do so. RJP became a bundle of political parties without having a strong leadership rather than a coherent political party. They know each one of them so thoroughly that they envy each other and they don’t want anyone of them being the top leader of RJP.

RJP is well off without participating in the election, as it won’t be able to make any significant dent on the election. Leaders were not sure that they would win any position at the local level, as they have been out of touch with the common folks for years.

We have seen from the results of the east-west political campaign of the CPN-UML that has tragically ended in Saptari where some innocent people lost their beautiful and invaluable lives for nothing. It indicates that the RJP leaders have only a few hot-blooded cadres in Saptari only.

If RJP were to launch a protest against the local election then they have to do so across the Terai at least if not in the hills, too. However, they could not dare to do so as they have no grassroots level support for such a massive protest that would change the political scenario or stop the scheduled local elections.

Most of the RJP cadres did not see the benefits of launching a protest against the local election when the entire nation has been for holding the local election peacefully and smoothly. They believed that if they were not to use the election they would miss the opportunity of winning the favor of the common folks. Soon, they would be deadwood politicians. Some of them have been even angry with the RJP leaders for boycotting the local election.

Consequently, local leaders of RJP did not want to lose the opportunity of winning the local positions. They want to run for different positions at the local units. Every candidate believes that s/he can win the election, which is one of the forms of gambling. Anybody going to gamble never thinks of losing but always thinks of winning it.

What the poor leaders at the center could do without the cadres at the local level. So, the leaders of RJP became practically ineffective when the local leaders wanted to take part in the election. They have no choice but to keep mute.

Probably, the RJP leaders had a lot of money to launch a protest, and try to do something to demonstrate their voices count. However, they could not buy everybody when everyone had another prospect. Everyone would choose the best chance of gaining than going to the area of the uncertainty of the protest against the election.

One of the flaws of the RJP leaders, has been they could not do anything particularly the most important one of launching a protest without the external support means support of India. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had learned a hard lesson while imposing blockade on Nepal for more than five months in support of the leaders of the today’s RJP. So, India did not want to repeat the mistake supporting again the RJP leaders for their protest against the election. India wanted RJP leaders to take part in the local election.

Whether the RJP leaders had learned the lesson or not from not getting the support from Laloo Prasad Yadav former Chief Minister of Bihar in India remained to be seen. Unfortunately, Laloo exposed the Nepalese leaders meeting them on camera making them visible to the world that they had come to him seeking assistance for the protest movement in their home country. Laloo did a great job exposing the real faces of the today’s RJP leaders.

What RJP leaders did was a great harm to them remaining aloof from the mainstream politics not participating in the local election, as Vaidhya did in the past. Vaidhya Maoists did the same in the past with the results everybody could see clearly. Vaidhya was the leader of the Maoists but today he has been confined to his study or bedroom not being able to come to the public. Biplab Maoist would have the same fate as of Vaidhya today. Vaidhya has clandestinely sent his cadres to contest the local election.

The government had even amended the election law opening the door to the RJP leaders to register RJP at the Election Commission and get the election symbols of their previous parties but making anybody elected under the previous symbols valid for the RJP in the future. However, RJP unwisely refused to participate in the local election.

The most important thing had been the coalition government of NC and Maoist-Center had strategically cornered the RJP rescheduling the local election in the province number two where probably, RJP has the most influence. The presence of RJP in other provinces must have been minimum.

The government has narrowed the area to be policed to the province number two. So, the government would have to deal with them only strongly at the province number two when the third-phase local election would be held on September 18, 2017.

The government has been well prepared for any events. The president has approved the use of the Nepal Army for providing the voters, the polling centers, and elections officials with the much need security for the second-phase election holding on June 28, 2017. The government is ready to cope with any protest or disturbance RJP might create at any areas.

RJP leaders have been helpless when the local leaders have been running for the various positions at the local units as independent candidates. RJP leaders could neither stop them nor forced them not to participate in the local elections. Thus, RJP has been indirectly taking part in the local election. Local cadres know that the common folks at the local units have sufficient power for the self-determination. They need to properly use such inclusive local parliament and the local government.

Another strong opposition from the Federal Socialistic Forum-Nepal to the non-participation of the RJP in the local election played a significant role in making the RJP leaders inept. The Federal Socialistic Forum-Nepal has the presence in the hills and the Terai, too. It has been for the local election and has been actively taking part in it. It has even criticized the RJP leaders for not utilizing the local election for achieving their ultimate goal.

The new Constitution has made the provision for women, and formerly underprivileged people to get elected at the local level. So, the local parliament and the government would be sufficiently inclusive, and surely democratic, too, as they would represent all the people at each local unit.

Leader of Federal Socialistic Forum-Nepal Upendra Yadav has a number of times openly spoken against the RJP not using the local election for the benefits of the common folks. Yadav said that he would use the election and the political movement to achieve the political objectives.

RJP leaders have been orphans after they lost their political cadres to the local elections, and the foreign support and finally the Upendra Yadav’s party. Their political cadres understand that the common folks have sufficient rights to rule, as they want. The common folks need to utilize the newly gained power at the local units. India did not want to indulge in the internal affairs in Nepal. One of the powerful leaders Upendra Yadav has been for using the local election for the political gain rather than spoiling it. So, RJP leaders have to stand on their own wobbly feet.

The coalition government of NC and Maoist-Center had been holding both the carrot and stick to tame the RJP leaders. The carrot has been the government meeting all the demands that are under the control of the government. The stick has been the security preparedness to deal with any possible eventualities RJP leaders might create during the election.

If we were to take a look at what the government presided over by KP Oli did to the today’s RJP leaders was that the then government did not even bother to talk to them rather sent its foreign minister to Delhi, India to talk to the Indian establishment. At that time, one of the RJP leaders Mahant Thakur had said that the government should talk to them not to the Delhi leaders.

Today at least Mahant Thakur and his colleagues have the honor to have the dialogues with the government, and sometimes with all other political parties. The coalition partners in the governance and the opposition have been holding talks with the RJP leaders. It is one of the great recognition the RJP received from the current government.

What RJP leaders need today is to have the clear vision of their political path rather than looking around for the external support for the internal agitations. They need to understand that the common folks have had enough political protests, movements, and even revolutions. Now, the common folks want peaceful election, and then the fast socio-economic development.

Launching protest, political movement, and revolutions not only disturb the people’s daily routine but also retard the socio-economic progress even reverse the economic development as the shutdown of the country cost the nation billions of rupees worth of business a day, and push the country back.

Political leaders might be happy having the successfully shutting down the business of the common folks but their happiness would turn into grief if they were truly be for the benefits of the nation. So, political leaders need to think twice before launching the nationwide shutdown in protest. Rather they need to use every possible chance of peacefully transforming the political change from the tyrannical autocratic rule to the inclusive democratic rule so that every person in the society would have an opportunity to live as honorably as possible.

June 26, 2017