Kulman, who has been holding discussions saying that alternative forces should come together, has reached the conclusion of launching a party on his own after receiving indications that a possible alliance with other parties would be difficult.
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Kulman Ghising, who was praised for his work to end load shedding while leading the Nepal Electricity Authority, became the Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation in the interim government led by Sushila Karki, formed on the strength of the Gen-G movement.
He is currently preparing to form a new party, targeting the elections to be held on 21 Falgun. Kulman, who has been holding discussions saying that alternative forces should come together, has come to the conclusion that he will start a party on his own after getting indications that a possible meeting point with other parties will be difficult.
A source close to Kulman has confirmed that Kulman is preparing to register a separate party after the dialogue with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) stalled midway. ‘Probably, the Bright Nepal Party with the bulb election symbol will be used,’ said a leader close to Kulman. ‘It is expected that branding will also be easier with this election symbol.’ An application for registration of this party has already been submitted to the Election Commission in last Asoj. According to a source close to Kulman, it has not been decided whether he will come forward as the party’s leader or just a member. ‘He is also in charge of the Ministry of Energy, whether to leave the ministerial position or not before registering his nomination for the election,’ the source said, ‘He will take a decision after discussing this issue at the highest level.’ The source says that Kulman is in favor of moving forward with the process of forming a new party without leaving the ministry immediately.
Recently, he was also in talks with a group of the Bibeksheel Sajha Party background and the Nepal Gen-G Front led by Raksha Bam to form a new party. However, they had not agreed on the name and election symbol of Kulman’s party. They understood that forming a party by focusing on only one person could lead to difficult situations in the future. A leader who was present at the talks at various levels said that Kulman did not want to back down from the name and symbol of his party. ‘The situation has changed due to the Gen-G movement, so we are proposing that everyone should come together under the leadership of Gen-G,’ said a leader of the Gen-G Front, ‘But, Kulmanji did not seem ready for that, and if everyone is not going to be in one place, we do not see the need to rush.’
Former president of the Bibeksheel Sajha Party, Milan Pandey, also says that although discussions are being held with all parties including Kulman, no concrete decision has been made. ‘Who will open a party or not is the second issue, the first is that the Gen-G friends who are familiar with the current situation and deserve the leadership,’ he said, ‘Our understanding is that the leadership should be decided through consensus and cooperation, keeping in mind the mandate of the Gen-G movement.’ Stating that they are of the opinion that all alternative forces should come together, he said that everyone should make some sacrifices for that.
Discussions are also being held within the Nepal Gen-G Front, formed under the leadership of Raksha. A certain Gen-G leader believes that the Front, which was announced to reach an agreement with the state to institutionalize the Gen-G rebellion, should be converted into a political party. Leaders from the Bibeksheel Sajha Party background are also supporting it.
In preparation for forming the party, leadership selection is underway at each province and district level. Front member and organization head Yujan Rajbhandari says that they are preparing to first institutionalize the 23 Bhadra movement and then move forward on a political course. ‘Some friends may move forward politically, some friends may also play the role of civil society,’ Bhandari said, ‘All options are being discussed, we are also in dialogue with other parties.’ According to sources, in the event that the Front is converted into a party, there is a possibility that some parties already registered in the elections may change their names and election symbols and move forward. Discussions have been held on bringing Raksha Bam as the leader, and possibly even Gen-G including Yujan as an alternative.
After the leaders of Bibeksheel and the leaders of the Gen-G movement made separate preparations, Kulman is holding discussions with the Nagarik Unmukti Party and CK Raut's Janmat Party. He has also got his eye on activists including Sagar Dhakal.
Leader Sumana Shrestha, who left the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) party, says that a political party that carries the essence of the Gen-G movement should be opened. 'If the Gen-G does not go to the parliament after winning the election, there is a possibility that the old parties will criminalize the Gen-G movement,' Sumana told Kantipur. 'The state has killed so many brothers and sisters, so they should lead and open a party to address their demands.'
Sumana had also held discussions with the leaders of the Dynamic Democratic Party several times in the past. However, she was not present when the party led by sociologist Dinesh Prasai and of which Buddha Air operator Birendra Bahadur Basnet was a member was registered. After this, Sumana also participated in discussions with Kulman. However, like other leaders from a prudent background, she is also seen in favor of a party with Gen-G. Instead, she has proposed moving away from single leadership and moving towards the concept of collective leadership.
Kulman, who has been doing his homework on party formation since before the Gen-G movement, was recently offered to join the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He had given a message to the dialogue committee led by RSSSP central member Pukar Bam that he was ready to lead if Ravi Lamichhane were to assume the parental responsibility. Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah had also indicated that he would support Lamichhane if he were to step down as president. The RSSSP had also formed a high-level dialogue committee led by Vice President Swarnim Wagle. Although Lamichhane had indicated that he might be flexible, sources claim that leaders close to him were not ready for that. Sources close to him say that after that, Kulman reached the conclusion of forming a separate party. "He had stopped after the leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) proposed the proposal, otherwise he was ready to announce it in advance," the source said. "We have come to the conclusion that it will be delayed if we do not make a decision now."
