Warning of Election Boycott Over Exclusion of Dalit, Minority, and Gen Z Issues

KATHMANDU — Stakeholders have warned of a boycott of the upcoming House of Representatives elections scheduled for March 5 (Falgun 21), claiming that political parties have failed to include the issues of Dalits, minorities, and Gen Z youth in their manifestos.

Speaking at a press conference organized at Sambad Dabali in the capital on Wednesday, stakeholders threatened to launch a campaign to boycott candidates who ignore these issues.

Gen Z leader Vivek Thapa questioned the slogan "Vote for the New," stating that parties that have been in power for a long time cannot be considered new. He also expressed objection to the tendency of collaborating with individuals involved in cooperative fraud cases in the name of Dalit liberation. Thapa urged support only for parties that raise the issues of the oppressed, Dalits, and marginalized communities.

Sarisma Thapa, a Gen Z leader who went on a hunger strike for 53 days, accused the government formed after the Gen Z movement of failing to address the movement's demands. She stated that despite a 53-day sit-in to alert the authorities, the demands remained confined to paper documents.

"Gen Z youth are being asked to vote with blindfolds on, and that is unacceptable to us," she said. "The government formed on the foundation of the Gen Z movement has not been able to address Gen Z demands. 

Those who ordered the shooting during the Gen Z movement and those who burned down Singha Durbar have also become candidates in the name of elections, which is not what we wanted." 

Sarisma added that holding elections without making the inquiry commission's report public would be meaningless. She warned that they would not vote until the truth regarding the events of September 8 and 9 (Bhadra 23 and 24) is revealed.

JB Bishwakarma, President of the Dalit NGO Federation, noted that although the Dalit community has been participating in elections since 2048 B.S, their fundamental rights are still not ensured. 

Claiming that Dalits are being deprived of their rights, he said, "A Dalit's vote is accepted, but their water is not." According to him, even 10 years after the promulgation of the Constitution, laws related to Dalit rights mentioned in Articles 24 and 40 have not been formulated. 

Accusing political parties of being indifferent to Dalit issues, he stated that candidates who do not include Dalit concerns in the upcoming election will be boycotted. He further commented that while the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) encouraged Dalit liberation and inter-caste marriage during the People's War, those commitments were not implemented after the peace process.

During the program, advocate Chakraman Bishwakarma remarked that the Gen Z rebellion had overshadowed the issue of social justice. He accused political parties of failing to include the implementation of constitutional rights for Dalits and women in their manifestos.

"Candidates are asking for votes by showing dreams of development, but no one is going door-to-door with the issue of justice and equality," he said. Mentioning that parliament is a place for law-making and ensuring social justice rather than just development, he urged people to vote only for candidates who favor social justice.

On the occasion, Shyam Kaji Sunuwar, a candidate from Kathmandu Constituency No. 5, accused old parties of failing to reform and those calling themselves "new" of lacking clear agendas. 

He commented that the Rastriya Swatantra Party does not have a new agenda but only the goal of making a new Prime Minister. Alleging that Balendra Shah was being made a "Facebook Prime Minister," he claimed there was an agreement between Balen and Rabi to settle the fraud case.