Bhishma Raj Ojha
Kathmandu, Nov 14: Nepali Congress leader and the member of the House of Representatives, Durlav Thapa Chhetri, has said that people in a developing country like ours expected the Member of Parliament (MP) to be more focused in the infrastructure development works than in their legislative functions.
Legislator Thapa said although the MPs have to be involved more in formulating the policies and laws required for the country, the situation is such that to a greater extent they have to be involved in the infrastructure development works in their constituencies due to the people’s expectations and ‘our own political culture’.
He was elected to the lower house of the Federal Parliament from Bhaktapur constituency number 2 on a Nepali Congress ticket. Thapa said although the duties, functions and responsibilities of the legislators and the executive at the Ward, Province and Federal levels are different, in our country all the people’s representatives like to be busy in all types of responsibilities.
According to him, the people’s expectation from the legislators they elected is also not compatible with the legislators’ duties and functions.
Also the president of the Nepali Congress Bhaktapur chapter, Thapa said, “When I was young the leaders and candidates in course of election campaign, used to give assurances of constructing roads, bridges, culverts, flood control structures, water supply projects, electrification and the like in their constituencies. Even now the people have the same expectation from the MPs.”
In his view, the legislators should present themselves in a disciplined and cool manner while taking part in the discussions and debates in the Federal Parliament, the supreme body of the people’s representatives. “The people’s representatives have a big role in enhancing the dignity of the parliament,” he stressed.
The 55 years old Thapa made a foray in politics as the central member of the Nepal Students Union, the student wing of the Nepali Congress, and later he joined the party.
He expressed his worry that the whole political system will likely become a failure if the political parties and the leaders are not able to remove the current popular dissatisfaction towards political system and the parties.
“MPs like us talk big things and ideals in the parliament. What these things hold for the common man? Therefore, the parties and leaders should only speak of realistic and practical matters,” he said, pointing out to the irony that the children of those very leaders who speak in loud voice in parliament expressing concern over the large exodus of youths to foreign countries have gone abroad for higher studies.
Lawmaker Thapa underscored the need of all Nepali to come together in institutionalizing and defending the federal democratic republican system provided for in the Constitution of Nepal.
Similarly, he expressed that all the lawmakers have to correct themselves and become responsible and serious regarding their legislative role in order to enhance the dignity of the parliament.
Rather than taking partisan line in parliament, there should be broader political consensus in parliament on topics of national interest and people’s welfare, Thapa asserted. RSS
