The Nepali Congress (NC) has a history of 70 long years of working for democracy in Nepal. The NC came into existence following the integration of the Nepali Rastriya Congress (NRC) and Nepal Prajatantra Congress (NPC). Tanka Prasad Acharya was nominated as president of the Nepali Rastriya Congress during the first general convention of the party held on Magh 12-13, 2003 BS at Khalsa School in Bhawanipura, Calcutta, while Acharya was serving a jail sentence during the Rana regime in Nepal. Thus, the convention also nominated BP Koirala as the acting president of the party. The convention also formed an 11-member central committee with Devbrat Pariyar from the Dalit community as a member.
Pariyar was the director and producer of Aama, the first Nepali motion picture produced in Nepal. Similarly, Bal Chandra Sharma, Dilli Raman Regmi, Krishna Prasad Bhattarai were nominated as the general secretary, chief of the publication department and chief of the party organisation respectively. DN Pradhan, Gopal Prasad Bhattarai, Lakpa Tshiring Sherpa and Rudra Prasad Giri were made central committee members of the party. Ishwar Baral served as office secretary.
Special treatment
This event goes to show how the NC embraced the Dalit community from the early period of its establishment. Therefore, the Dalit community should take pride in the history of the NC, which was founded through their contribution and sweat. They have every right to demand special treatment and rights within the party.
On the other hand, the NPC's first convention appointed Mahendra Bikram Shaha, a son of the then Jumli king, as its president. The convention was held on Poush 15, 2005 BS in a private cinema hall in Calcutta, which belonged to Mahabir Shumsher Rana, a supporter of the democratic movement in Nepal. A year later on Chaitra 27, 2006 BS, a joint convention of the NRC and NPC announced their integration, and the NC came into existence, which is a historical landmark in Nepalese politics and democratic movement. This joint convention held in Calcutta at the Tiger Cinema Hall of Mahabir Rana also appointed Matrika Prasad Koirala as the first president of the NC.
The history of the Nepali Congress shows that many cadres from the Dalit and indigenous communities had contributed to establishing and strengthening the NC as a national political force. History shows that Chandra Bahadur Sarki was the first martyr of the Dalit community, who was killed on Falgun 7, 2007 B.S. in Bandipur, Tanahun while participating in the revolution launched by the Nepali Congress.
Currently, the Nepali Congress is preparing for its 13th general convention. At this moment, it would be worthwhile for the party to recall its proud history and remember the contribution of the marginalised community that played a major role in the party's life and building democracy in the country.
This is the era of representation and participation. The Constitution of Nepal has guaranteed proportional representation and participation of the marginalised communities, which was the main mission of the NC when it was born as a common political platform of the neglected and suppressed people of Nepal. That's why the NC has always raised slogans for the upliftment of the marginalised people, putting full trust in them. This makes the party synonymous with democracy and the voice of the neglected and suppressed people.
Though words like reservation and quota were not in practice in the country and in the NC's constitution, its pioneer leader BP Koirala was sincere towards the Dalit, indigenous communities, women and marginalised people. He appointed Dhan Man Singh Pariyar as the first general secretary from the Dalit community after the 5th convention of the party, whereas prominent and senior leaders such as Matrika Prasad Koirala, Surya Prasad Upadhyaya, Subarna Shumsher Rana, Ganeshman Singh were appointed as mere members of the party.
The 5th convention of the party, known as the Janakpur Convention (Janakpur Mahadhiweshan), holds pride of place in the politics of the Nepali Congress and that of Nepal. Pariyar was appointed as the senior general secretary along with Rajeshwori Prasad Upadhyaya as joint general secretary. The highly influential post of general secretary ranked second only to that of president in power and prestige within the party. Pariyar is the first Dalit to achieve such a high post in Nepal’s political parties even today.
The 5th convention of the party was a milestone in terms of inclusion of Dalits, against caste- based discrimination and social movement in the country. According to the book by Purushottam Basnet, Nepali Congress Ko Itihas ko Prarup (History of Nepali Congress at a Glance), the 5th convention of the NC adopted a resolution regarding Dalits, caste-based untouchability and ill social practices and customs. It was the first formal political resolution related to Dalits by a Nepali political party.
Bhakta Bahadur Amatya and Ramkumar Jivan Mitra proposed the resolution while Bashu Dev Kahar, Ishowar Man Thokar and Ganeshman Shrestha supported it. The resolution mentioned that 'since those from the Dalit community, i.e. Kami, Damai, Sarki Chamar, Musahar are not allowed to share water from public ponds, wells and taps, they are using contaminated water, making them prone to water-born diseases, hence the government should abolish such discrimination being practised in the government offices, schools and colleges'.
After this convention, around the first week of Bhadra 2009 BS, the Central Office of the Nepali Congress sent a circular to all the party district committees to collect education, finance, health-related data as well as information on the practices of caste-based untouchability. DK Shahi, office secretary, (also known as Karyalaya Mantri), resent the circular a month later in Asoj 2009 B.S. It is believed that this was the first formal institutional census regarding Dalits in Nepal.
After the restoration of democracy in 2046 B.S., the NC and Krishna Singh Pariyar made history when Pariyar, a NC candidate, was elected as the first Dalit lawmaker in the House of Representatives from Banke-3 in the 2048 B.S. elections. Similarly, Man Bahadur Bishwokarma was appointed as the first cabinet minister from the Nepali Congress by then Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala in 2063 B.S. There had been no cabinet ranking minister from the Dalit community before Man Bahadur Bishwokarma. Bishwokarma was also the first elected central committee member of the Nepali Congress, elected during the party’s 11th convention.
The Nepali Congress appointed Dalsingh Kami, Gorkha (2048 B.S.), Ratna Bahadur Bishwokarma, Dailekh (2050 B.S.), Bijul Bishwokarma, Dang (2056 B.S.) as members of the Upper House. Similarly, Mitharam Dukhi BK was nominated as a member of the Interim Legislature-Parliament in 2063 B.S.
The National Dalit Commission and the Committee for the Upliftment and Development of the Neglected, Suppressed and Dalit Community were formed by the NC-led government for the first time in 2058 and 2054 B.S. respectively.
Nepali Congress leaders and cadres carried out various nationwide campaigns against caste-based untouchability and discrimination way back in 2006-07 B.S., just before and after the revolution against the Rana regime. These were first organised campaigns against caste-based discrimination which was led by the Nepali Congress. Brahmin cadres of the Congress started the Halo Kranti (the Plough Revolution) to fight against the traditional and negative mind-set, which also included discrimination and untouchability. At that time, Brahmins were not supposed to plough the land, a task assigned to the then so-called lower castes.
Party of Dalits
In conclusion, going through the history of the Nepali Congress, it is said that this party is the party of Dalits and marginalised people, who have significantly contributed to making the Congress a national political force. History shows that the Congress and Dalit have a deep and inseparable relation, which is characterised as a relationship as close as the nail and the flesh of a finger. This relation has also played a strong role in developing and strengthening the NC as a successful political force in the country.
- Therisingnepal
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