KATHMANDU, MARCH 23
Dr CK Raut-led Janamat Party and Resham Chaudhary-led Nagarik Unmukti Party (NUP) have reached an agreement on the merger. Both parties have stated that they are in agreement on the name of the party, chairperson, election symbol, and other details.
Raut will lead the party following the merger, with Ranjita Shrestha serving as co-chair. In addition, the possibility of having two chairpersons, Raut as first priority and Shrestha as second, has been discussed.
Resham Chaudhary, the patron of the NUP, will serve as the party's patron. The NUP has proposed naming the unified party the 'Nagarik Janamat Party', which has been positively received, according to Janamat spokesperson and member of the unity task force Sharad Singh Yadav.
Both parties have initiated discussions to use the NUP's 'dhakiya' (basket in English)' as its election symbol. Janamat's electoral symbol is a horn.
"Learning from the past, we have realised the need for this merger, and following task force decisions, we will soon sit and discuss the legal complexities of merging the parties," he told THT.
"Moreover, this merger is the answer to state monopoly and hijacking federalism to the centre, as both parties are organically formed and accepted nationwide. It has primarily served to address the issues of Nepal's two most marginalised communities-Tharu and Madhesi. However, we are open to parties that pursue identity agendas."
Meanwhile, addressing the session, Raut said that the suffering faced by the Tharu community in Kanchanpur was one of the chief reasons for his return from the US.
"We made a mistake in the past by failing to come together. If we had gone together at the time, we would have had 30 seats, including proportional. If we had been able to do so, people would have found new hope. A Tharu, Madhesi, or Dalit leader could have had the opportunity to write history during a time when parties with 32 seats ruled the country," Raut said.
Janamat Party has six lawmakers in the House of Representatives and NUP four.
"We are here now to correct that mistake, as we must prioritise the rights and identity issues of the people," Raut stated. "We have all been working on it, including Reshamji and Ranjitaji."
On the other hand, both of these parties have backed the government. Janamat, with the support of the Nepali Congress-UML, has led the Madhes government, while the NUP has a Minister of State at the Centre. Arun Chaudhary is the Minister of State for Tourism for the NUP.
Janamat spokesperson Yadav stated that the two parties should work together to strengthen the cause of identity activists and issues.
He said that unity between identity-based parties was necessary as the ruling parties were trying to increase the threshold for becoming national parties with the objective of creating a two-party system in the country.
The two largest parties- the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML-have teamed up to rule the country. Leaders have slammed the NC-CPN-UML coalition as undemocratic, claiming that the ruling coalition did not even consult with other parties of the coalition before issuing ordinances, and that reflected their attitude toward other political parties.
