NC leader challenges new parties to last 10 years in politics

KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress leader Kishor Singh Rathore has challenged newly formed political parties to prove their ability to run effectively by sustaining themselves for a decade.

Speaking to journalists at the party’s central office on Sunday, Rathore cited recently established parties such as Janamat, Rastriya Swatantra Party, and Nagarik Unmukti Party, urging them to demonstrate consistent political performance over 10 years.

He emphasized that established parties like Nepali Congress and CPN-UML have contributed to citizens’ rights and national development, while “cooperative fraudsters and inexperienced groups” cannot run the country.

“These new parties make big promises and speak loudly. Let them manage a party for 10 years, then we can talk. None of them have even lasted five years. Our long struggle was to ensure everyone gets the chance to participate in politics. Look at Ukraine — electing a populist artist as president has led to today’s crisis. In Nepal, these irresponsible parties and opportunists cannot replace the contributions of our party, which has spent 80 years securing development and citizens’ rights. We have also struggled to control corruption, which remains a challenge today,” he said.

Rathore further cautioned that those defeated in the party’s 14th general convention should not speak recklessly, and warned that failing to hold elections on Falgun 21 could push the country toward civil unrest.