Congress MP Rajendra Bajgai has said that MPs should not be stopped from criticizing ministers. He said that MPs should not be controlled by the party in everything.
Speaking at the meeting of the Congress parliamentary party on Monday, MP Bajgai protested against the efforts of the Congress leadership to prevent its MPs from speaking or writing against the party's ministers. He has also urged the leadership to remember that the MPs are not the subordinates of the party but the sovereign representatives of the people.
Bajgai claimed to have reliable sources of various controversies and allegations of corruption and said, 'The responsibility of investigating such matters is not of the party but of the designated state agencies.'
He said that since the Congress is a democratic party, the Congress became authoritarian and started suppressing internal dissent and became a Chinese-style party . He said that he believes that Chairman Sher Bahadur Deuba will not allow the party to follow the style of the Chinese Communist Party. 'The idea that the internal complaints of the party leadership should be limited only to the party forum is wrong. Such a system should be in communist parties, not in democratic parties like Congress,' he said, 'Congress leadership is now trying to suppress internal voices. When the basic foundation of the party is built on democracy, debate and criticism, why are these values being weakened now?'
MP Bajgai expressed his suspicion that the law is going to be made to suppress those who expose corruption. He said, 'those who expose the scandal of corruption should not be suppressed, but should be encouraged.'
MP Bajgai also criticized Congress Chief Whip Shyam Kumar Ghimire . Bajgai said that Ghimire's statement that there is no need for labor unions and socialism in Nepal is objectionable.
Bajgai said that there is a need for reforms within the Congress party and asked everyone to be active in keeping democratic values, transparency and internal debate alive within the party.
