KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress President Gagan Kumar Thapa is scheduled to unveil the vision of the country, democracy and the future direction of the Nepali Congress.

Presenting the political report at a closed session of the party’s 15th General Convention on Monday, Thapa is going to put forth the ideological, political, organizational and national political line of the party for the next decade.

Thapa’s report has made historical self-evaluation and the present national context, NC’s identity and national responsibility, ideological direction and renewal and concept and working system of prosperous Nepal as the main bases of the report.

The report reviews the historical journey of the Congress, the achievements made and the responsibilities that are yet to be fulfilled. Along with the lessons to be learned from the past political struggles and achievements, the report also emphasizes the responsibility to be taken by the 15th Congress for the leadership of the next four years and the political direction thereafter.

Thapa has also made the recent power-centric politics, organizational weaknesses and growing distance with the younger generation a subject of introspection. Reviewing the election defeat and the political practice of the last two decades, he pointed out the need to identify the difference between the achievements of change and the unfulfilled promises.

The report also analyzes the political developments from the people’s upheaval in August to the 15th Congress. The changing social psychology, the growing distance between the generations, the state of the economy, migration and the rapid changes taking place in the world have been presented as the major challenges in the current national context.

The report also warns of the risk that criticism of democracy may gradually lead to rejection of democracy and that populism can lead to legitimate public discontent to wrong political conclusions. In such a situation, Thapa is of the view that the Congress should clearly fulfill its historical and contemporary responsibility in favour of democracy.

from responsible opposition to national power

The report stresses that the Congress should be developed not only as a party that is active during elections but also as a national force that is constantly present in the society during elections. It has been proposed to develop a political system to listen to the grievances of the citizens, draw evidence-based conclusions and present solutions along with playing the role of a responsible and clear opposition.

Thapa said that the responsibility of the Nepali Congress should not be limited to the opposition but should be established as the basis of national power and democratic balance. For this, the report has included the need to institutionalize the message of the movement, democratic institutionalization of political energy and rebuild public trust.

The report also prioritizes the relationship between social movements, party organization and democratic mediation, public dialogue, social relations based on common facts and the role of the main opposition. In addition, generational change, entry of new political leadership and leadership formation have been put forward as the next task of the Congress.

New Interpretation of Nationalism, Democracy and Democratic Socialism

Thapa’s political report attempts to reinterpret the ideological basis of the Congress according to the changing context of the 21st century. Nationalism, democracy and democratic socialism have been kept as permanent political ideals and linked them with the goal of a prosperous Nepal.

Nationalism has been defined as the independence of the nation and the collective self-government of the people, democracy with the ownership of the citizen over public power, and democratic socialism with political freedom and real socio-economic freedom.

Presenting the relationship of these three ideals as the basis for building an independent nation, sovereign citizen and just society, Thapa has also put forward national reconciliation as a means to build a common national community amidst disagreements.

The concept of ‘Samrudnat Nepal’

Another important aspect of the report is the concept of ‘Prosperous Nepal’ and the methodology for its implementation. The vision of building a prosperous Nepal on democratic, constitutional, socio-economic and humanitarian grounds has been put forward.

Thapa has proposed to limit prosperity not only to economic growth but also to the cycle of empowerment, opportunity, co-creation and accountability of the citizens. An attempt has been made to define the relationship between the state, the citizen and the institution in a new way, explaining this concept as ‘Rishtashvalkajassu Uvchabatasalan Kathakatjh’.

Clear outline of ‘What kind of Congress?’

The report has concluded that the upcoming Congress should be ‘clear in ideology, vibrant in organization and accountable to the people’. Under this, it has been proposed to increase membership, citizen participation and a sense of ownership within the party, build an organization based on hierarchical coordination and common strength, and strengthen internal democracy.

Similarly, meaningful inclusion, five-generation co-existence, family ownership, social movements based on national concerns, and development of the Congress as a center for building ideas and leadership have also been included in the report. High ethical standards and clear work commitments for the people’s representatives, clean financial base of the party and public audit have also been put forward as important aspects of organizational reform.

Thapa has tried to present a political plan to achieve the results of the next decade through continuous improvement by linking the next four years of leadership with clear assignment and implementation. In the conclusion of the report, the focus is on fulfilling the aspirations of the citizens, bringing the fruits of democracy to the lives of the people and maintaining the Nepali Congress’s stand on its core political values.

The report, which is going to be presented in the closed session of the 15th General Convention, is expected to present the overall blueprint from the past self-review of the NC to the national renaissance of the coming decade, building prosperous Nepal and ideological and organizational transformation of the party.