Ram Bahadur Thapa was once an ultra-left leader. So, soon after he was appointed minister of home affairs, many thought he would root for enforcement of obsolete communist policies. But after the quiet, reserved person, who rarely talks to the media, joined office, he waged an all-out war against transport cartels, eventually bringing them down to their knees. No government has succeeded in dismantling the transport cartel, as they enjoyed political protection. He then went after gold smugglers, which led to the arrest of high-profile personalities. He is now on a mission to discipline contractors, who have continuously delayed construction of crucial physical infrastructure projects such as roads and bridges. Rewati Sapkota of The Himalayan Times caught up with the minister to discuss the performance of the incumbent government. Excerpts:

Are you satisfied with the government’s performance in its first 100 days in office?

During this period, the government took some good initiatives in various fields. As far as my ministry is concerned, we have defined our priorities in the 82-point work plan now being implemented.

There are complaints that the government with two-thirds majority has not fulfilled people’s aspirations. What do you have to say?

Such complaints are not fair at this moment as we are laying the ground to achieve various goals of development and prosperity. The government has just launched the budget for the next fiscal, which has charted out plans for sustainable socio-economic development. We will now start implementing them. I know opposition parties and our opponents are complaining. But it is the general public that must assess our performance. We are committed to delivering and if we fail to do so people have the right to raise their voice.

When does the government intend to amend the constitution to address various demands, as it now has the support of two-thirds of parliamentarians?

The government’s policy is to amend the constitution on the basis of necessity and rationality. Constitution amendment is not the need of the hour. Madhes-based parties have raised the issue of constitution amendment; the government will do so when the time comes and if it is necessary.

Would the constitution be amended just to incorporate issues raised by Madhesi parties or also to introduce a provision of directly-elected executive head?

The constitution amendment process, if it takes place, will address a host of issues. Currently, talk of executive president is doing the rounds. There are also issues related to identity and proportional representation. And a few are raising the issue of making the country non-secular. All these issues are under discussion. We must reach logical conclusion on these issues before incorporating them in the constitution.

Your party co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal has floated the idea of introducing directly-elected presidential system in Nepal. Is this issue only limited to political discourse?

Currently, it is limited to political discourse. This discourse will determine the fate of the proposed system of government.

Police have recently arrested a number of people involved in gold smuggling. But it is said only petty smugglers have landed in the police net whereas leaders of such groups are still free. Is this true?

It is not that. The investigation of gold smuggling is going on. The arrested smugglers are not small player. They are big in their own field. Big players, even if they are influential, will land in our net as the investigation is not completed yet.

When will the investigation end?

I can’t give you a concrete time frame. But I can assure the investigation is bearing results. Lots of people who were involved in gold smuggling have landed in police net. However, MK Agrawal, who is said to be the kingpin in this particular smuggling case, is still absconding. Police will arrest him soon, and he will spill more beans, leading to arrest of other individuals. We believe there is involvement of more people in this case.

You have been praised for dismantling the public transport cartel, but passengers are still facing the same problems as before. How do you intend to address this?

Actually, the problem of transport cartel does not fall under the domain of the Home Ministry. The Physical Infrastructure and Transport Ministry should look into this issue. The Home Ministry, however, is in favour of proper management of the transport sector. Transport cartels should register as companies by mid-July. The government is preparing to form a taskforce to look into the issue of transport sector management.

The Home Ministry is preparing to take action against contractors, which, many say, is illegal. What is your take on this issue?

The budget for the next fiscal has said action will be taken against contractors who are delaying construction of projects and engaging in irregularities. We are working as per this policy.

The country has embraced federal system of government, but the Federal Police Act is yet to be introduced. When will this law be enacted?

Drafts of a slew of acts, including Federal Police Act, have been prepared. They have been modified several times. The act should be endorsed in the next three months. The Provincial Police Act will be drafted on the basis of Federal Police Act. The drafts of Local Administration Act and Internal Security Act have also been prepared. They will be endorsed by Parliament soon.

The Home Ministry is planning to start anti-alcohol campaign. Won’t it affect the tourism sector?

No, it will not affect the tourism sector because we aren’t planning to prohibit sale of alcohol. We are only preparing to control its consumption. Uncontrolled sale of alcohol has affected society. The government generates annual revenue of around Rs 40 billion from alcohol sale. But health problems and social problems, like domestic violence, are on the rise because of too much alcohol consumption. If we want to reduce loss of lives and curb social problems, alcohol consumption must be reduced.

When are you planning to launch this campaign?

We are planning to introduce measures to reduce alcohol consumption in various phases. We have almost completed preparations. We will launch it soon.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is embarking on a visit to China soon. What are the agendas of the visit? Will security issues be discussed?

The government is preparing agendas for the PM’s China visit. National security and border issues may be raised during the visit. But the major agenda is to seek China’s support for Nepal’s economic development. Nepal is a signatory to China’s Belt-Road Initiative. We hope to receive Chinese support, especially in construction of hydropower projects and cross-border railway line.

Will Nepal sign extradition treaty with China during PM’s visit?

The extradition treaty will not be discussed this time. Nepal-China security issues, however, will be discussed. In the past, India and China had proposed to sign extradition treaty with Nepal. But we have not formed consensus on this agenda.

Lately, the practice of refugees illegally entering Nepal has gone up. Have you noticed this issue?

Yes, the government has noticed the entry of Rohingya refugees. More than 1,000 of them have entered Nepal and are living in many places of Kathmandu valley. This flow has created new problems and the government is aware of it. We will resolve this problem, as it could affect Nepal’s national security.

There is a lot of dissatisfaction among party leaders and cadres after formation of Nepal Communist Party (NCP). How are you planning to resolve this issue?

This is normal and the upcoming general convention will address some of these issues. We will hold a general convention or a national meeting at the earliest to resolve the problem.

How is the government planning to tackle problems created by Netra Bikram Chand-led Nepal Communist Party?

The government has adopted a two-pronged strategy to deal with the Chand-led party. First, we will try to hold dialogue. The government has already asked them to sit for talks. If they do not agree, we will mobilise law enforcement agencies to prevent them from carrying out illegal activities.