Sher Bahadur Deuba – President, Nepali Congress
I would like to welcome the party office bearers, former office bearers and central members, and all the friends attending this meeting.
In this difficult situation of the country, today we are attending a meeting at the party central office in the BP Memorial Building, Sanepa, which has now been reduced to rubble after the vandalism, looting and fire during the Gen-Z movement on September 8 and 9.
This has certainly put us all in shock. First of all, I would like to express my condolences to all those who lost their lives during the movement. At this time of grief, I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved family. I wish a speedy recovery to all those who were injured in the incidents.
1) On September 8, the peaceful demonstration carried out by Gen-Z was later infiltrated before taking an unexpected turn, resulting in the loss of lives of innocent youths. This incident has deeply saddened me and all of us.
On the morning of September 9, many public properties, including the Office of President, Singha Durbar, the Parliament Building, the Supreme Court, courts, various ministry buildings the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority, the Land Revenue Office, the offices of the provincial government, police beats, the buildings of local government, ward offices, and other administrative, physical and historical structures that provide essential services and security to the people, as well as various offices of political parties, private houses and rented apartments of various political leaders, media houses, and other commercial and business establishments were attacked, vandalised, looted, and set on fire. This resulted in unimaginable loss of life and property. This will probably go down in history as a horrific incident in Nepal.
Our party’s central office, offices in 48 districts, and the private houses and rented apartments of about 125 leaders were attacked, vandalised, looted, and set ablaze. I am deeply saddened by the incidents where Koirala Niwas in Biratnagar, the historic places of Nepal’s democratic revolution, the the residence of leader Ganesh Man Singh at Chaksibari in Kathmandu, and the ashram of saint leader Krishna Prasad Bhattarai in Bandegaun, Lalitpur were burned to ashes.
Not only that, the security forces, who are responsible for protecting lives and property of citizens, were attacked, their weapons were stolen, and the private property of citizens were vandalised, looted, and set on fire. I demand fair investigation into these incidents and the perpetrators should be brought to justice.
I would like to express my gratitude to the President Ramchandra Paudel for playing an important role on the difficult day of September 9. His matured role during that adverse time averted another possible crisis that could surface in the country.
2) I believe that Gen-Z’s legitimate demand of good governance and corruption-free environment and freedom of expression should be ensured in the country. Their concerns about the country should be addressed. This issue will be discussed in this meeting as well. But the facts emerging after the incident are beginning to confirm that these unimaginable, inhumane and horrific incidents were not accidental or spontaneous, but rather well-planned. Investigations into these incidents should be carried out as soon as possible. Investigations should be carried out with the country’s interests at the center rather than immediate profit and loss. Morale of all state bodies has gone down. In this situation, we must work to keep the morale of all state bodies high, and call on all bodies, including the judiciary and security agencies, to work with high morale.
3) In the past 80 years, the Nepali Congress has been the most trusted, the center of faith of the Nepali people, and the largest and most powerful party in Nepal. NC, which is committed to the country’s nationalism and democracy, has never made any compromise with anyone. NC’s unique ability to accurately identify any adverse circumstances and act accordingly to rescue the country has established our party as the beloved one of the entire Nepali people.
Whether it is in the struggle for democracy or in the movements of political, economic, social and cultural transformation in the country, NC has set a clear national agenda and brought the country to its rightful place. As we are currently holding a Central Committee meeting, I have felt that all Nepali brothers and sisters and friends at home and abroad have set eyes on the meeting. Therefore, we need to correctly analyse the current political situation and decide on the appropriate development of the country. From this meeting, we need to reaffirm NC’s historic credibility. In the current situation, we will mainly have to give appropriate guidance on the issues of our own party and the role we have to play in national politics.
4) Today, NC’s unity is the need of the day. In the current crisis of the country, we must put aside all the personal or group differences, conflicts, and disagreements that exist among us, and unite with the country as a witness. Now, all issues of personal or group differences, interests, or profit-loss are less important. I would like to urge all friends to have a comprehensive discussion on issues, reach a unanimous decision, and implement the decision in a concrete manner.
Friends,
5) Issues of the party’s internal life, the upcoming 15th General Convention and the leadership handover have been raised. What I would like to urge my friends is that “there will not always be only a landowner in the house” and there will not always be only a president in the party. As far as my point is concerned – I have already told that I will procedurally transfer the party leadership from the 15th General Convention according to our constitutional system and my political will. There is no doubt that any other friend except me will become the new president from the upcoming 15th General Convention.
6) In the current adverse situation of the country, it is necessary for NC to unite and organise itself and also cooperate with other political parties that believe in the democratic system. Now, the Constitution of Nepal, which was formulated by the Nepali people through the Constituent Assembly, is in danger. The highest elected institution, the House of Representatives (HoR), has been dissolved on the grounds of unconstitutional and undemocratic reasons. The government has announced the HoR elections on March 5, 2026.
However, a favourable environment has yet to be created for holding these elections in a free and fair environment. There is no guarantee of peace and security, which is a prerequisite for elections. The security agencies have lost their morale. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the government to maintain the peace and security situation for the elections and to ensure that the elections are held in a peaceful and fair environment, and that everyone can freely participate in the polls. The government should pay attention to this matter. We believe that if the government can create an environment for the elections, the country will be put back on the constitutional way.
The government has yet to create an environment of talks with the political parties that are considered main stakeholders in a pluralistic democratic system. At this stage, it is necessary for the Congress to consult with other political parties and discuss the upcoming plan. The Nepali Congress, which has been a driving force behind rescuing the country in times of crisis should move ahead to unite all political parties by embracing its glorious history.
7) You know that I am a person who has fought for the nation, democracy, and rule of law since I was a teenager. There was not any easy and favourable situation when I entered politics for the sake of democracy. I am a person who has experienced many kinds of pain, suffering, and imprisonment. I did not enter politics with the intention of becoming a parliamentarian, minister, prime minister, or NC president. My mind, speech, and actions had one objective – nation, nationality, and democracy.
With the love and support of my friends, I have held various political positions following the establishment of democracy. I have experienced many ups and downs in politics. I have stood firmly for the country and the people in all crises in the country, and I will remain steadfast for the country and the people as long as I live. I have received immense love, affection and support from all my friends. My love and support for my friends is always the same.
I have always tried to make the Nepali Congress a party with Nepali identity of all castes, regions, genders and communities. Whether it is by implementing the Kadamajama (inclusive–Kamlari, Dalit, Mahila, Janajati and Madhesi) policy within the party or by making reservations in the party structures from local to central levels, I launched a campaign to make the party more inclusive. I also want to take a pride in it.
I had the opportunity to become the Prime Minister five times, albeit for a short period of time. The total timeframe of my tenure as Prime Minister five times was only one year. During that time, I mostly led the government mandated to hold general elections. But you are aware that I have done significant work in the reform of certain areas. I feel proud that I got an opportunity to start some social work from making the country free of the social evil of Kamaiya and untouchability to social transformation. In order to eradicate corruption in Nepal, the Corruption Eradication Act 2059 was promulgated under my leadership. I also ended the dual ownership of land in Nepal and implemented scientific land reform. On this basis, the land ceiling limit has been implemented.
To establish women’s ownership of property, I have established the rights of both women and men over ancestral property by amending the 11th Amendment to the Civil Code. I have made structural reforms by forming a commission for the upliftment of the communities including Dalit, women, and indigenous nationalities.
The tax system was made scientific and modern by implementing the value-added tax, which is a form of economic departure of the country during my premiership. I might have made mistakes during my tenures as Prime Minister and party president, but I always worked putting Nepali people and the party at the centre. All the decisions of the Central Working Committee have been unanimous. Official responsibilities while in the government were also done in consensus. I have made all the members participate in the party’s decision-making process as far as possible.
8) On September 9, when the whole country was burning, a group of people attacked me and my family with the intention of taking our lives. They vandalised, looted and set fire to our house, and after hours of tireless efforts by the security forces, we were rescued. You are aware of the horrific physical attack that my family and I had to face. They did not stop there and spread false propaganda in a systematic manner to tarnish our reputation and image.
With your love, prayers and wishes, I have been able to come and hold this meeting after receiving treatment. Considering the various hardships I have experienced in my political life, I believe that one must have the courage to face these kinds of situations that may take place anytime when taking an ideological stand for the nation, the people, and the system.
These incidents, at first glance, may seem like a personal attack on me and my friends, and other political opponents, but in my opinion, it is an attack on the country, the system and the party as a whole. From this meeting, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the security personnel and well-wishers at the scene of the incident who saved us from the clutches of the attackers, and I will remember them for the rest of my life. I am confident that this meeting of our party will make a concrete analysis of the current situation and take the necessary steps to ensure the country’s proper way out. The Nepali Congress has to unite itself and tackle the challenges of the country.
At this time when the nation, democracy and democratic governance are in serious crisis, it is necessary to maintain unity within the party. Keeping this in mind, the Central Committee will hold a serious discussion on holding the 15th General Conference at the time specified in the party statute and take the necessary decision. After assessing the current political situation in the country, there is a need to hold a dialogue with other political leaders for a way out.
Due to my health reasons, I have assigned party’s vice president Purna Bahadur Khadka as NC’s acting president. I am confident that he will work in the larger interest of the party.
Jai Nepal!
(Address by Nepali Congress (NC) President and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba at the NC Central Committee meeting on October 14, 2025)
