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Respected office bearers of the party, former office bearers, and central members, I heartily welcome all comrades to this meeting.

In this difficult situation of the country, today we are holding our meeting at our central office, BP Smriti Bhawan in Sanepa—which has been left in ruins, turned into ashes, and stands as a symbol of destruction after vandalism, looting, and arson. This indeed has shocked all of us deeply.

First of all, I express my heartfelt condolences to all those who lost their lives in the incidents of Bhadra 23 and 24. In this painful hour, I extend my sympathies to the bereaved families. I also wish for the speedy recovery of all those who were injured in the incident.

On Bhadra 23, during the peaceful protest of Gen-Z, there was infiltration, and the protest turned violent, causing the deaths of some security personnel. This incident has left me—and all of us—extremely saddened.

On the morning of Bhadra 24, there were attacks, vandalism, looting, and arson in various places—from the national heritage sites such as Rashtrapati Bhawan (President’s Office), Baluwatar, Singha Durbar, Supreme Court, various ministries, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority and its offices, Land Revenue Offices, Provincial Government offices, Police Offices, Local Government buildings, District Administration Offices, and other public and essential service institutions—as well as political party offices, the residences of leaders, media houses, and commercial establishments.

This caused unimaginable loss of lives and property. Undoubtedly, this will be remembered as one of the most frightening days in Nepal’s history.

Our party’s central office, along with the offices in 48 districts, and around 125 residences and rented houses of party leaders and comrades were attacked, vandalized, looted, and set on fire.

Historic sites linked to Nepal’s democratic revolution, struggles, and movements—such as the Koirala Residence in Biratnagar, the Ganesh Man Singh Residence in Chakupat of Kathmandu, and the Krishna Prasad Bhattarai Ashram in Badegau of Lalitpur—were set on fire and turned to ashes, which has saddened me even more.

Not only that, security personnel responsible for protecting the lives and property of citizens were attacked, their weapons were looted, and citizens’ private and public properties were destroyed through vandalism, looting, and arson. I demand that the truth and facts of all these incidents be investigated and that those responsible be brought under the legal process.

On Bhadra 24, in this critical situation, President Ram Chandra Paudel played a significant role, for which I extend my heartfelt gratitude through this meeting. His mature role during that difficult time helped avert a greater national crisis. The GenZ movement’s demand for good governance and a corruption-free state, and for freedom of expression, is legitimate. It is my belief that their concerns and aspirations for the country must be addressed. This subject will definitely be discussed in this meeting.

However, the unimaginable, inhuman, and terrifying events that occurred were not spontaneous or accidental but rather well-planned and organized. The facts that are emerging after the incident have started to make this clear.

Therefore, further study and investigation should be conducted as soon as possible. This investigation should move forward not based on temporary gains or losses for anyone but by placing the nation’s overall interest at the center.

Currently, the morale of important institutions across the country has been weakened. In this situation, we must work to uplift the morale of all organs and institutions of the state, including the judiciary and security agencies, and urge them to perform their duties with high spirit.

Over the past 80 years, the Nepali Congress has remained the most trusted, beloved, and largest party in Nepal. The Nepali Congress has never compromised on national sovereignty and democracy. At any period of time, the party’s unique characteristic has been its ability to identify the country’s complex situations realistically and lead the nation out of crisis through peaceful means. That is what has kept our party close to the hearts of the people.

Whether it was the struggle for democracy or any political, economic, social, or cultural movement in the country, the Nepali Congress has always set a national agenda and guided the nation toward a proper direction.

As we hold this central committee meeting today, I feel that Nepalis at home and abroad—our brothers and sisters spread around the world—are watching this meeting closely. Therefore, we must analyze the current political situation comprehensively and take decisions that guide the nation toward progress. Through this meeting, we must reaffirm the values and principles on which the Nepali Congress was founded and has stood throughout history. In the present situation, we must provide appropriate guidance on our party’s internal matters as well as our role in national politics.

The unity of the Nepali Congress is the need of the hour. Given the crisis that has emerged in the country, we must set aside our personal or group differences, conflicts, and disagreements, and stand united before the nation as witness. From now on, let personal or group likes and dislikes, interests and benefits all be put aside. I urge all comrades to hold broad discussions on issues, reach decisions with unanimity, and implement those decisions in a concrete manner.

Questions have arisen regarding the party’s internal life, the upcoming 15th General Convention, and leadership transfer. I would like to say this to my friends: There is never only one head of a household forever. Similarly, in the party, no one remains party president forever. As for me, I have already decided—both by constitutional provision and my own political will—to hand over the party leadership in an orderly manner after the 15th General Convention. Therefore, from the next convention, someone other than me will become party president—there is no doubt about that.

In the present difficult national situation, the Nepali Congress must make itself united and well-organized, and it must also cooperate and coordinate with other political parties that have faith in the democratic system.

The constitution of Nepal, which the Nepali people made through the Constituent Assembly, has come under threat. The House of Representatives—a supreme constitutional institution elected by the people—has been dissolved unconstitutionally and undemocratically.

The government has fixed the date of election for the House of Representatives on Falgun 21. However, a free, fair, and fearless election environment has not yet been ensured. The guarantee of peace and security, which is a pre-condition for elections, does not exist. The morale of the security agencies has weakened.

Therefore, the government bears the main responsibility for creating a situation in which peace and security are restored and the elections can be held peacefully, impartially, and fearlessly, so that everyone can participate willingly.

The government’s attention must be directed toward this. If the government succeeds in creating such an environment for elections, we believe that elections will become the foundation to bring the country back onto the constitutional path.

In a multiparty democratic system, the government has failed to create an atmosphere of trust and coordination with opposition political parties. In this context, the Nepali Congress must hold discussions with other political forces about upcoming plans.

Remembering our history—whenever the nation faced crises, the Nepali Congress took leadership to resolve them—we must again move forward to build national unity among all political parties. You all know that I have devoted my entire life—since my youth—to the struggle for nationalism, democracy, and the rule of law. When I joined politics for the cause of democracy, the situation was not as simple and easy as it is today. I endured many hardships and imprisonments.

I did not enter politics with the aim of becoming a parliamentarian, minister, prime minister, or party president. My single purpose in thought, speech, and action was—the nation, nationalism, and democracy.

With the affection and support of my comrades, I have held various state responsibilities since the establishment of democracy. I have experienced many ups and downs in politics. Whenever the nation faced a crisis, I have always stood firmly on the side of the nation and the people. And as long as I live, I will remain dedicated to the country and the people.

I have received immense love, affection, and support from all comrades, and I, in turn, have equal love and commitment toward all of you. I have always tried to make the Nepali Congress a party that represents the Nepaliness of all castes, regions, genders, and communities.

Whether by introducing a policy of inclusion within the party or by ensuring reservations in party structures up to the central level, I have led a campaign to make the party structurally inclusive. I will continue to devote myself to this work.

Although my terms as prime minister were often short, I had the opportunity to serve five times—collectively around one full term in duration. Even though most of those were election governments, I believe that I was able to achieve some milestone reforms in certain areas.

I feel proud to have initiated some social reforms such as the liberation of bonded laborers (Kamaiyas) and declaring Nepal free from untouchability.

While I was prime minister, I enacted the Corruption Prevention Act 2059 to fight corruption in Nepal. I also ended the dual ownership of land by introducing scientific land reforms, establishing the basis for the current implementation of the “single land ownership” system.

To establish women’s ownership over property, I made the 11th Amendment to the Muluki Ain (Civil Code), granting equal inheritance rights to daughters and sons in ancestral property. Likewise, I created commissions for the upliftment of Dalits, women, Janajatis, and other marginalized communities, and carried out structural reforms.

In the economic sphere, it was during my premiership that the Value-Added Tax (VAT) was introduced as a major fiscal reform, making the tax system more scientific and modern. As prime minister and party president, I may have had some shortcomings, but I always tried to work keeping the Nepali people and the party at the center. 

All decisions of the Central Working Committee were taken with consensus. Responsibilities handled in government were also carried out with consultation. As far as possible, I have involved all friends in the party’s decision-making process.

On Bhadra 24, when the whole country was burning, I and my family were attacked with the intent to kill. Our house was vandalized, looted, and set on fire. After several hours of tireless effort by the security forces, we were finally rescued. You all know the terrifying physical assault that my family and I had to face. As if that were not enough, malicious and false propaganda was spread in an organized manner to tarnish our reputation and image.

Because of your love, prayers, and good wishes, I was able to recover and come to this meeting to conduct it today. Recalling the various difficult situations I have faced in my political life, I have always believed that one must have the courage to face whatever situations may arise for the sake of the nation, the people, and the democratic system.

At first glance, these incidents may look like personal attacks against me, my comrades, and other political leaders. But looking at the overall picture, I firmly believe that these were attacks against the nation, the system, and the party itself.

From this meeting, I extend heartfelt thanks to the security personnel and well-wishers who rescued us from the hands of the attackers at that moment—I will remember them for the rest of my life.

I believe that this meeting of our party will conduct a concrete analysis of the current situation and make necessary decisions that will lead the country toward proper development. The Nepali Congress must make itself united and face the challenges before the nation.

In this hour, when the nation, democracy, and democratic governance are in grave crisis, we must maintain unity within the party. Keeping this in mind, the Central Committee will seriously discuss and make necessary decisions regarding holding the 15th General Convention of the party within the timeframe stipulated by the party constitution.

Evaluating the present political context of the country, the party will, as required, hold dialogue and coordination with other political forces to move toward development and stability. Because of my health condition, I have designated our party’s Vice-president Purna Bahadur Khadka as Acting President to carry out the duties of the party president. I have full confidence that he will work for the broader interests of the party.

Jay Nepal!

While conducting foreign policy, we should seek to strike a balance between our two neighbors—India and China. We can change friends but not neighbors. The onus is also on us to maintain a cordial and balanced relationship with both of our neighbors. We have to be able to convince the two neighbors about our concerns and hear out their core concerns as well.  Keeping a balanced relationship with two of our neighbors is the only way to move forward.

As for electricity trade, India is the only market for our electricity, so we have to be flexible while negotiating with India on this issue. 

As India is the only buyer of our electricity, we have to heed its concerns too. Because of this constraint, we have some difficulties and compulsions when it comes to selling electricity. 

We have to keep our national interests at the center while conducting foreign policy. 

The author is a former PM and president of the Nepali Congress