Gagan Thapa: Those taking govt responsibility have failed to embrace federalism

KATHMANDU: Gagan Kumar Thapa, the General Secretary of the Nepali Congress, has expressed that political party leaders in charge of the government have failed to adopt a progressive stance on federalism.

Speaking at an interaction program on the topic of strengthening federalism and addressing provincial issues in Lalitpur on Tuesday, Thapa pointed out that the reluctance of political leaders to embrace federalism has led to the current outcomes.

He stated, “We, the political leaders, including myself, who take up governmental responsibilities, have not been supportive of federalism. We are very rigid in this regard. We do not have the interest in advancing it as it is.”

Thapa emphasized that without support for federalism, development initiatives cannot move forward. He also pointed out that no political leader, not even regional parties, has been bold enough to leave the government with a demand for the enactment of laws related to federalism. “I have observed new parties and regional parties as well. Even though we sit together in the government, no one places conditions or demands for things like the federal civil service bill or federal police bill. No one has said that if these bills are not passed, they will leave the government. Everyone talks about leaving, but once in power, everyone focuses on how to hold on to their rights,” he remarked.

He further noted that political leaders tend to advance without placing conditions for participation in the government. However, once in power, the focus shifts to consolidating authority, leading to situations that may cause setbacks.

Thapa also criticized how, when results are not favorable, everyone tends to blame the provinces. He said that the current government is working towards giving more powers to provincial and local governments. “Federalism will continue in Nepal. Provinces will remain as part of this constitutional structure. We all stand in favor of it,” he concluded. However, he pointed out that despite this commitment, the federal system, including local governments, is not being made functional or result-oriented, which has hindered effective governance.