Janajati party is here in Nepal, finally

Ending a long period of speculations over an "alternative political force", leaders of Nepali indigenous nationalities Janajati formally announced the formation of a new party in Nepal yesterday.

The Sanghiya Samajwadi Party-Nepal is led by Janajati leaders who seceded from major political parties.

The party's official flag and manifesto were made public amid a function attended by over 1,000 party leaders and cadres at Khusibu here. Leaders said the party is a common platform of pro-federal and ethnic forces.

A 98-member ad-hoc committee under the chairmanship of former vice-chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal's Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML) Ashok Rai was announced in the function. The committee has eight vice-chairmen, one general secretary, three assistant general secretaries and five secretaries.

While Rajendra Shrestha has been appointed the general secretary, other key positions in the committee are dominated by UML defectors.

Bijaya Subba, Durga Mani Dewan, Prem Krishna Pathak, Bir Bahadur Lama, Rakam Chemjong, Hem Raj Rai, Mohammad Ansari and Gopal Thakur have been made vice-chairmen. Dewan is a Nepali Congress defector.

"This party is truly a party of labour, peasants, the marginalised and the oppressed. It is committed to fulfilling the wishes and aspirations of the common people," Rai told the gathering.

He lambasted leaders of big parties for taking the country towards confrontation by not promulgating the constitution and vowed that his party would fight for substantial democracy.

Shrestha read out the party's slogan "socialism for class liberation and federalism for ethnic liberation".

"Unlike the parties predominantly occupied by one community, our party will be much inclusive and well organised," said Shrestha.

There are two Madhesis, two women and one Muslim, Dalit and Tharu member each in the 18 key posts.

Political analysts say the new party looks like a miniature version of the CPN-UML, given the domination of former leaders of that party in the new party's top posts.

Accusing its leadership of being anti-federal, the UML leaders had quit the party en masse on October 4 this year.

A group of Nepali Congress (NC) party leaders had followed suit. However, attempts of leaders to form a unified political force comprising all ethnic groups, intellectuals and the defectors failed when a group consisting of Chaitanya Subba, Kumar Rai and Pasang Sherpa refused to join the new party. They cited ideological differences.

The Ashok Rai faction remained adamant on incorporating Marxism as the party's primary guiding principle, while Kumar Rai and his group insisted on "social democracy".

Intellectuals and the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (Nefin) were in favour of prioritising the agenda of inclusion, federalism, marginalisation and proportional representation.

Speaking in capacity of the Nefin chairman, Raj Kumar Lekhe urged the leaders not to make the new organisation like other parties.