Former Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa has launched a new Rastriya Jana Shakti Party amid a function in Kathmandu Sunday.
This is the first political party to be launched under the state of emergency imposed on February 1.
Participants at a peace rally organised in Kathmandu, Former Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa formally announcing the launch…
Addressing a function organized to launch the new political outfit, Thapa said the vision of the new party was a prosperous Nepal with self-esteem. For this, the new party would go for ‘total change’ in the existing structure of the state on the basis of democratic inclusiveness and people’s empowerment. He said the new party was committed to safeguard th achievements of (the people’s movement of) 1990.
He said his party believed that there was difference between the state and nation. State is an administrative structure while nation is a structure in which substantive equality and opportunity is made available to all the people.
Thapa also unveiled his party’s new flag that has full moon in the backdrop of sky blue background. He also made public his party’s ‘base paper’ drafted by Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani. Thapa said he would chair the new party while Dr. Lohani will be its vice chairman.
Thapa said he would hold dialogue with other major parties in the country to find a way out to the crisis facing the country. When asked about the new party’s views regarding the peaceful movement being launched by five opposition parties, Thapa said he would make his views clear by organising a press meet later.
Thapa had announced late last year that he would convene a ‘Broad National Democratic Conference’ to give rise to a new democratic force in the country. The conference– scheduled to be held early this month– was later postponed due to the state of emergency in the country.
Founder chairman of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), Thapa had resigned from his post in May last year amid intense wrangling within his party. Sources close to him said he then decided to float a new party to counter his opponents in the RPP being led by Pashupati Shumsher JB Rana.
Rana earlier said the new outfit would not have any major impact upon the support base of his party.
Regarded as a liberal politician within the erstwhile Panchayat regime, Thapa was in the news recently by making critical remarks against the February 1 developments.