The latest scandal gives credence to the general belief that all parties are of the same hue
APRIL 10
The audio tape in which a Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) member is allegedly heard soliciting a bribe from a businessman couldn't have come at a more inopportune time.
The by-election in which the party Chair, Rabi Lamicchane, is contesting from Chitwan-2 to regain his lost seat is just a fortnight away, and the audio leak could be very damaging for his winning prospect. The audio record that was leaked by a news channel Kapurbot.com on Sunday has RSP lawmaker Dhaka Kumar Shrestha soliciting Rs 20 million from businessman Durga Prasai just before the cabinet expansion by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal in January.
In the audio tape, which purportedly took place on January 15, Shrestha is heard saying he needed the money to be considered by the party for the post of health minister, and in lieu of that he would help Prasai, whose B&C Medical College in Birtamod, Jhapa has been facing problems in its operation. Shrestha was elected to the House of Representatives under the proportional representation system following the November 20 general elections last year.
The RSP has suspended lawmaker Shrestha after the audio leak went viral, which has caused quite a stir in the media and political circle. RSP Chair Lamichhane on Monday vowed to take punitive action against Shrestha within 72 hours and said he would not tolerate any corrupt behaviour as his party hadbeen raising slogans against corruption. A party that had been formed just months before the federal elections in November had bagged 20 seats in the November federal elections to become the fourth largest force in the parliament.
The electorate, especiallythe youth, had pinned high hopes on this party to fix many of the country's anomalies. Yet barely a month into the government, Lamichhane fell into controversy for holding dual passports and not following the due procedure to regain his Nepali citizenship after becoming an American citizen. Following the controversy, Lamicchane not only had to forgo his Home portfolio but also lost his seat in the parliament.
And now the audio leak involving its lawmaker Shrestha, who seems to have also been involved in a cooperative dispute in Pokhara.
If the past is any guide, the leaked audio tape could prove very damaging to Shrestha's political career and his party's image. In 2020, then Minister for Communications Gokul Banskota, a budding and promising UML leader, had to step down following the release of an audio recording in which he is heard negotiating Rs 700 million in kickbacks with a Swiss equipment supplier for the government's security printing press procurement deal. The latest scandal involving the RSP gives credence to the general belief that all parties, old and new, are of the same hue. At the heart of the system lies the country's election system, where huge expenses are involved to contest and win the elections. And the only way to come up with the money is by negotiating with the business houses in return for favours and contracts. Besides elections, the cadre-based parties also need huge funds for their day-to-day operations. It is a cycle that is hard to break, and their promises to fight corruption are no more than empty slogans.
