Netra Bikram Chand is 58 years old. However, his enthusiasm and vitality are like those of a youth. He is now gearing up to bring about change in society through an agricultural revolution. He was seen planting potatoes in Kapilvastu a week ago. He has recently registered a party called CPN (Maoist) with the Election Commission and has been given a rose flower as its election symbol.

He and other CPN (Maoist) leaders and activists have planted potatoes in a 5-acre field in Bijgauri, Shivaraj Municipality-9, Kapilvastu for two days. The potatoes will be used to make potato chips.

Netra Bikram Chand's 53-year-old wife Subhadra is currently selling the potatoes produced by the party in Chait/Baishakh. The mother of three says that she sells potatoes at weekly markets in Chandrauta, Shivpur and Hallanagar in Kapilvastu. 'I sold potatoes worth about 18/19 thousand,' she said, 'that money has been deposited in the party treasury.'

There is no discrimination between big and small in the party. Under the policy of linking all leaders and activists with production, Chand's husband and wife are connected to labor. Both of them are spending their hard work and sweat. They do most of the work themselves, from tillage, tillage to care. Their agricultural crops are flourishing from the lowlands of the Terai to the highlands. According to Netra Bikram Chand, political campaigns and agricultural production have been taken forward together to keep the party leaders and workers active and sustainable. It is expected that the income generated in this way will keep the party alive and help the leaders and workers achieve their political objectives by managing their personal household affairs. The NCP, saying that it will be self-reliant in agricultural production, has passed a new proposal for the 'New Economic Path' last year and is earning a good income by collectively producing food grains, vegetable crops and operating garment industries in various districts of the country.

Mrs. Subhadra Chand _{Last year, the NCP produced 29,500 kg of Lady Rosetta potatoes. He claims to have made a profit of more than 4 million by selling potatoes. Binod Chaudhary's CG Food Company sold 200,000 kg of potatoes to make chips. At the rate of Rs 45 per kg, there was a surplus of potatoes worth Rs 90,000. The company had purchased potato seeds worth Rs 32,000 to make chips, but has already paid Rs 58,000 in cash. Similarly, this year, there are 350 quintals of potatoes for seeds and 100 quintals of potatoes for eating at the local party office. Similarly, while digging potatoes, the local party committee gave the remaining 500 quintals of potatoes to the party, said Sandesh Si, head of the production department. Last year, potatoes worth Rs 12 million were produced.}

Potatoes were planted on 52 bighas of land in Kailali, Surkhet, Banke, Dang, Kapilvastu, Arghakhanchi, Rupandehi, Chitwan, Kaski, Tanahun, Kavre and Sindhuli. The highest number of potatoes has been planted in Kailali and Chitwan in 20/20 bighas. This year too, work is underway to plant potatoes on more than 52 bighas of land. Party sources say that the data on how much potatoes have been planted is yet to come.

CG Industry alone has demanded 500,000 kg of potatoes this year. The NCP cadres are enthusiastic about farming as they will earn more than last year by saving the seed money.

NCP leaders and activists are busy with potato farming. _{Meanwhile, 65-year-old Standing Committee member Santosh Budhamagar also comes to Bhokkar village, Shivraj Municipality-9, where the party headquarters is located, to plant and harvest rice every year. When he should be resting in his old age, Budhamagar is sweating in the fields. He is taking care of the rice.}

The NCP has stated that it is cultivating Akbare chillies on 100 ropanis of land in four districts. The party's production department chief Sandesh Si said that it is estimated that Akbare chillies worth more than 15 million will be produced this year. Akbare chillies have been planted in Arghakhanchi, Nuwakot, Chitwan and Rolpa after demand from the Yai Yai noodle industry. 'It is estimated that Akbare chillies worth more than 20 million will be produced.' So far, 1.35 million rupees have been sold,' said the party's production department chief Sandesh. He said that the production in Arghakhanchi was not as expected and the price has also decreased slightly this year. Sandesh said that the exact figures for the production are not available as the work of picking and selling is currently underway and that Akbare chillies were sold to the industry at a rate of 243 rupees per kilogram.

With the increasing corruption in the country, the party leaders and workers engaging in the business of earning money, the people's discontent and dissatisfaction are increasing and the situation is getting worse, said NCP General Secretary Chand, who believed that the party could only move forward through an economic revolution if it was linked to production. 'The party leaders and workers became infamous for being middlemen and harassing and threatening and engaging in the business of earning money,' he said, 'This made me wonder where we were going. I did a lot of research. After that, I came here thinking that we should put production first before power.'

Chand said that the party is now rich in crores not by collecting donations, but by carrying out the agricultural revolution and that he himself is happy when he can enjoy agricultural work. 'When I see the laughter and happiness of life in the soil, I forget all the sorrows and pains and become excited,' he said.

Rights activist Mahendra Aryal said that he is happy that the hands that used to play with bombs, ammunition and guns during the Maoist conflict are now becoming exemplary by playing with soil and doing productive work. 'It is very good for the country and the people to find a future in agriculture, which has immense potential,' he said, 'It teaches us to live with self-respect by reducing dependence.' This encourages leaders and workers of other parties. Netra Bikram Chand, who used to say let's revolt against the capitalists, is now selling the goods he produces to them, and the change that has come about in him, said rights activist Aryal, who said that the ideological shift and change in him have sent a positive message all around. How successful Netra Bikram Chand's strategy of advancing party politics by working towards production through agricultural revolution will be, will be shown in the coming days.

Similarly, the party is also raising fish and bees to earn income. Fish farming has been done in ponds dug on one bigha in Kapilvastu, 5 bigha in Chitwan, and 6 bigha in Dang. Similarly, 60 beehives have been kept in Shaktikhor in Chitwan. 10,000 apple trees have been planted in Jumla and Kalikot. A sheep farm has been operated in Patan, Kalikot.

Party worker Ganesh C said that he was very happy to be able to do collective farming on 5 bigha of land in Bhokkar and Bijgauri, areas around Anchalpur in Kapilvastu, where the party's central office is located. 'The party pays fair remuneration for the work done,' he said, 'There is also equal respect. This work has lit the fire in the house and the household has also been maintained with pleasure.' He said that while working happily, he does not notice the passing of the day. 'I am enjoying farming,' he added.

A party-affiliated cooperative has operated a cowshed in Bijgauri. The milk collected from there is used for party workers to eat, while the manure is used for farming. ‘This has also helped in controlling stray cattle,’ said Ganesh.

C Garment Industry _{The party has operated C Garment Industry near the central office with an investment of about Rs 1 million. It has done a turnover of more than Rs 41 lakh in 14 months. The party claims to have earned more than Rs 1 million from Asad 081 to Shrawan 082. 145 central members attended the 6th central committee meeting held in Shivgauri in the first week of Poush last year wearing neat black coats, pants and shirts made by the party’s own garment. The party claims that this was done so that the uniformity seen in the leaders’ attire would show equality. Garment is sewing and distributing coats, pants, shirts, tracksuits, half pants, kurta-surawat, school dresses and jhul. Garment has employed two people from the party center and nine locals.}

The party is mainly farming in two ways. One is institutional farming for the party's operation, with all the expenses paid by the party itself, while the other is farming with the investment of party leaders, cadres and well-wishers under the slogan of integrated ownership, collective production and individual responsibility. The party takes all the income from institutional farming, while in farming where half the investment is by party leaders, cadres and well-wishers, 60 percent of the income will be taken by the individual and 40 percent by the party, said Pavel C, central member and head of the communication department. The production made with the involvement of General Secretary Chand himself will be fully owned by the party.

At the party's central committee meeting held in Kapilvastu in the first week of December, General Secretary Chand had mentioned in his political report that the party had seen successful results after being linked to production. 'I am happy that this has taken the party's weight, dignity and essence to a new height,' he said.

The Chand-led CPN (Maoist) has been giving its leaders and cadres a month's leave every year to do agricultural work. After the CPN (Maoist) passed a new proposal for a 'new economic path' through its ninth general convention, saying that it would become self-reliant in agricultural production, leaders and cadres across the country have been busy with rice planting and other agricultural work, said Politburo member Kriti Si. 'For that, the party gives a month's leave from Asad 10 to Shrawan 10,' he said. 'When all the full-timers, part-timers and well-wishers engage in agricultural work, the party has received a new blood supply.'