Politicians, like others, have to practice what they preach. Given that Lamicchane had preached about the need of bowing out after being found guilty, he should see to it that he practices it also
The House of the Representatives has been stalled following the protest launched by the Nepali Congress (NC), the largest party in the Parliament and the recently turned Opposition Party, in the aftermath of the change in the coalition with the mercurial Prime Minister Prachanda making yet another political somersault by joining the Unified Marxist-Leninist camp, both of which were otherwise at daggers drawn with each other. The NC has contended that the Prime Minister should inform the House regarding the factors that have led to the appointment of Rabi Lamicchane, Chairman of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), the fourth largest party in the Parliament, as the Home Minister to this coveted post in the wake of the investigations under way for his involvement in a cooperative scam.
It may be remembered that Lamicchane had received money from the cooperative despite not being its member. Such misdeeds have precipitated protests in the streets launched by the cooperative victims who have lost their deposits after being swindled of huge amounts of money by the cooperative owners. It has led to the disturbance in the parliamentary proceedings.
Lamicchane himself had attracted the attention of the government of the last coalition highlighting the need of the removal of those ministers from the posts who had been tainted with one allegation or the other. He was referring to the case of Prakash Jwala who had been found guilty in the Balkumari incident that led to the death of two youths by a commission set up for this purpose.
Now that Lamicchane has been caught up in a similar soup, if not identical one, hence, he should leave the post in order to facilitate the examination of the case smoothly, according to political observers. Otherwise, it will be difficult for the government ministerial machinery to scrutinise the allegation with the alleged person at the helm.
There have been instances in the past when public figures have gracefully submitted to the investigation of the allegation made to them. In the Ramayan, Sita submitted to fire ordeal after a washerman said that he was unlike Ram, her consort, to accept his wife who had been away for days and nights together. The fire did not harm Sita justifying her innocence. Sita ran away when Ram made an unsuccessful chase to meet her as she got buried into the ground after jumping into a crevice which closed up soon after the entry of Sita. She emerged out of the ground while ploughing a field by her father Janak, and she entered the ground at the end justifying the maxim "Dust thou art and Dust thou returnest".
The story of Debbrata, later to be Bhisma of the Mahabharata fame, is more striking regarding how persons have at times gone out of the way to make the necessary room by sacrificing themselves. Debabrata's father Santanu fell in love with a fisherman's daughter and wanted to marry her. But the fisherman would not allow unless her grandson would be made the king. Debbrata was already in the cue for the kingship, and he made room for the fulfillment of his father and the fisherman's wishes by ceding the right to the throne and practicing celibacy throughout his life. Santanu was so happy that he blessed his son to live as long as he wished.
These stories belong to the mythic past. However, there are examples where politicians have agreed to leave the post to facilitate the investigation of the allegation made of them in contemporary times. One of them is that of Ram Sharan Mahat, the former finance minister and a senior member of the NC who voluntarily resigned from the post. He was alleged by the Opposition, the UML, regarding his foreign exchange account. He was, however, found to be innocent, and Mahat, tall as he already is when compared to Nepali average height, came taller than before.
There is a similar opportunity waiting for Lamicchane also. After all, he is the chairman of a party which made a dramatic emergence as the fourth largest force in the Parliament in its first maiden attempt while the veterans could not even propel their party to a national status. Many expect it to sweep the 2084 election and form the government that will sail the country out of the existing troubled political waters.
It is precisely because of this growing consensus that Rabi received a landslide victory in both the elections that he has fought. But his insistence to be the Home Minister despite questions raised at him has certainly discouraged his die-hard supporters. It is reminiscent of a Nepali song which means, Mom I want that very girl and none others, which had become very popular around the country.
The RSP now is like the Swatantra Party of India in the sixties. In the general election of 1962, it won 18 seats in the same manner as the RSP posted victory in 22 seats in the 2022 general election of Nepal. Rajgopalchari was its charismatic president, but he never believed in clinging to the post. When he was said by Jawahar Lal Nehru that we should avoid giving the impression that we stick to the office at all cost, he refused to contest the by-election and remained as the nominated member of the party. What politicians should understand is that a momentary loss can be a long-term gain in politics.
Politicians, like others, have to practice what they preach. Given that Lamicchane had preached about the need of bowing out after being found guilty, he should see to it that he practices it also. The old parties like the NC, UML and MC, among others, have already devalued the political morality to the extent of hitting rock bottom. It is time now to restore it to its original self. The new parties like the RSP and the Janamat Party have to realise this political responsibility.