Did you question the leaders who came to you asking for votes? Or did you listen to them silently and reassure them with ‘yes’ and ‘no’? Or did you make yourself into a machine that simply obeys the leader’s orders and votes? Or did you present yourself as a sovereign citizen who asks questions and says, ‘What is your candidacy for? Why should we vote for you?’

If you question the leader, demand answers, and prove yourself a critical and sovereign voter, you have done very well. You have done well because you have become a sovereign shareholder of the state. Otherwise, if you dismiss a candidate without asking questions even when he comes before you, you have made yourself more powerless and weak. And, you have missed an opportunity – the opportunity to ask questions! Let us brainstorm on the meaning, importance, and dignity of questions in this article.

First of all, let us start with a context. The main speaker of the ‘Kantipur’ conclave organized on Magh 26 and 27 was Nobel Prize winner, Iranian writer, and human rights activist Dr. Shirin Ewadi. There, she gave a very calm and concise speech. One of the important topics of that speech was – questions and the power to ask questions. Her speech can be said in this way, ‘The first thing a person learns is questions. If a person did not ask questions, he would not have reached today’s era.’ Dr. While listening to Ivadi, I felt – there is a question, therefore there is movement in life. There is a question, therefore social consciousness is ignited. There is a question, therefore dictatorship is defeated. There is a question, therefore accountability is mandatory. Question is the lifeblood of modern human civilization and the basis of democracy.

Now let us question the question itself. Why are questions necessary for people? And, where is the place of questions in our civilization? It is clear that the civilization we have built began with questions. The science we have invented was born from questions. The knowledge we have acquired was acquired from questions. Man achieved excellence on this earth because he had questions. Those people (society) who had questions, climbed the ladder of civilization, while those who did not have questions, remained where they were.

People had questions about their existence, therefore people became existential. People had questions about their freedom, therefore movements took place and the journey of democracy moved forward. In this way, all the great journeys of philosophy, science, literature and politics began with questions and moved forward with questions. Therefore, it can be said that questions made people masters and a society that did not question remained trapped in slavery. 

If we look back at history, every political change seems to have arisen on the basis of some courageous questions. Be it the American struggle for independence, the glorious revolution of Britain, the Soviet rebellion, or the freedom struggle of India. At the basis of all of these was the question of human supremacy and justice. In the context of Nepal itself, the movement of 2007 also started with questions - the question of ending dynasticism, the question of establishing human sovereignty, the question of ending global rule and establishing democracy. Whether it was the change of 046 or 063, all these were the results of the questions we Nepalese asked for our supremacy.

When we integrate these contexts with politics, it becomes clear that politics is the organized practice of questions. Dialogue with power. The search for questions and answers between disagreement and agreement. Or the discussion of questions. In this sense, politics is not a static concept, it is a process that is constantly kept moving by questions. Therefore, it can be said that stopping questions means stopping time, and stopping time means stopping the forward journey of society. There is no life in a society without questions. Such a society is a dead society.

Some people think that asking questions is protesting. Some people think that asking questions is obstructing. Still others think that asking questions is being negative. However, in politics, questions are not just a tactic to make the opponent uncomfortable - they are discreet inquiries made to the state, party, individual, and government about their policies, ideas, and behaviors. Questions seek responsibility not only at the level of 'What is happening?', but also at the level of 'Why is it happening?', 'For whom is it happening?', and 'What could be the alternative to this?'. In addition, questions in politics act as a bridge between the government and the citizen. It connects the citizen with the government. At the same time, questions also increase the status of the citizen. Because when a citizen asks questions, he is no longer just a governed person, but becomes a participant in the governance process. That is, questions make citizens responsible members of the political process. That is why it can be said that there are questions, so people search for answers. There are questions, so leaders are responsible for the answers. Therefore, questions are not only the curiosity of citizens, they are also their strength.

The question arises – why is power afraid of questions? Here, power is both the party and the government. Why is a leader afraid of questions? Or, why is our politics afraid of questions? This is a matter related to the exercise of position, ego, and power. It is simply a misconception that those who consider themselves the masters of knowledge and power are afraid of questions asked by others about their knowledge. It is simply a misconception that those who consider themselves the masters of human sovereignty are afraid if the common people question them. This is the fear of power being taken away, the fear of the veil of illusion being torn.

That is, power is afraid of questions because questions make them transparent (naked). Questions expose the gap between promises and actions. Questions demand facts, seek answers, and do not accept excuses. That is why in history, autocratic rulers were the first to suppress those who asked questions. And, even today, those who cultivate illusions continue to discourage questions. This means that whoever attacks questions is a dictator, who wants to destroy the spirit of democracy. And, wants to keep the power of illusion intact. That is why questions asked in politics are important because they tear the veil of illusion and always contribute to institutionalizing responsible politics.

So, any party is always and at all times under the surveillance of questions. However, in elections, it is necessary to ask more questions because winning an election does not mean getting the right to be an autocrat for five years, but accepting the responsibility of listening to the questions of the people for five years. That is why the questions asked in elections remind everyone, the state, party, leader, and government – ​​you are not the master, the master is the citizen. And, you are not above questions, the questions are on you. 

In this sense, during elections, when candidates come to the citizens to ask for votes, it is the most important political opportunity for the voters – the opportunity to ask questions. Because here, the vote is not a mercy or compulsion, but a conditional trust. And, to test that trust, questions are necessary before voting. This is not only the right of the citizen, but also the responsibility. And, yes, a test of the candidate. Such a test, where the character, ability and honesty of the candidate are seen and the suitable one is selected. 

During elections, political parties often enjoy slogans. Therefore, to test emotional slogans through questions, it is necessary to ask questions to the candidates during elections. Because questions help to turn the slogan into a policy and make it practical. Otherwise, slogans that come without questions are just paper dreams. And, they are just impulses and excitement. Therefore, questions are necessary to make the election lively, lively and responsible, and questions are also necessary to turn the victory of the candidate into responsibility. 

If the culture of asking questions is established in elections, it will mature the voters (society). It controls insults, insults, and emotional arousal and increases accountability. Fact-based, reasoned, and respectful questions are the main standard of civilized politics. Therefore, asking questions is not hostility, it is democratic friendship – friendship that guides power on the right path. 

Let us remember, a society that does not ask questions gradually becomes silent. Silence in politics is slavery. Slavery controls conscience. When conscience is controlled, that very moment democracy becomes powerless. When the power of democracy is exhausted, that democracy shrinks into a limited democracy, the limit of which is that elections are held, but they do not provide the right options. Parliament sits, but there is no debate. A government is formed, but it is not accountable. If this happens, what is the use of that democracy to the people? What is the purpose of that election to the people?

Asking questions in politics is not weakness, it is strength. Questions are the self-respect of citizens. Questions are the lifeblood of democracy. Politics without questions is arrogant and only politics with questions is humane. If politics starts running away from questions, citizens should surround it by asking more questions. Questions should curb politics and not allow it to be stirred up. In this sense, the citizen who asks questions is the real owner of democracy. And, the power that listens to questions is the real power of democracy.

Finally, dear voters! Ask the candidate who comes to your house or yard asking for votes – isn't the garland you wear wet with the tears of sugarcane farmers? Ask – isn't the dirt of the heart of the meter-billing shopkeepers on the clothes you wear? Ask – doesn't the car you drive belong to a middleman who is embezzling our taxes? Ask – what was the mistake of the father who, a few years ago, couldn't find a place to bury his dead child in the ground and threw him into the Koshi? Ask – what is the sin committed by the Dalits, Janajatis and landless people of India who were forced to become slaves before the age of 15? Otherwise, what is the responsibility of the state towards them?