I have not come to defeat anyone in Bhaktapur-2, I have come to win: Rajiv Khatri

Kathmandu. Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) candidate for the House of Representatives from Bhaktapur-2, Rajiv Khatri, has intensified his election campaign.

Stating that he was moving ahead at the same pace as the election atmosphere is underway across the country, he said that he has continued the meetings and training programmes at the ward-by-ward and group level. Stating that the party was working on a strategy to strengthen the organization from the ward, he said that preparations to reach out to the doorsteps have also reached the final stage.

“We are preparing to communicate directly with the people through internal preparations, strengthening the organization at the ward level and then conducting door-to-door programmes,” he said.

Khatri put forward the view of linking the role of the members of the House of Representatives to the policy level. According to him, the main responsibility of the lawmakers is to facilitate the development process through policy reforms rather than allocating budget and constructing roads and drainage. “It is the responsibility of the House of Representatives to facilitate the development works related to the local level and the province through the policy level,” he said.

He clarified that the commitment letter would be made public soon by the party and a separate commitment letter was being prepared targeting Bhaktapur area. “Now we are in the study and writing phase, but the problems across the country are mainly related to development and good governance,” he said.

Bhaktapur Constituency No. Stating that Province 2 has both new settlements and old city Madhyapur Thimi, Khatri said that the areas with different structures should be addressed in different policy way. “My emphasis will be on removing dilly-dallying at the policy level, corruption, encroachment of public land and obstacles to long-term development rather than the slogan ‘I will transform and build smart cities’,” he said. ’

“Even though my political journey has begun from Bhaktapur, not only Bhaktapur but other districts like Mahottari will benefit from the policies I have formulated,” he said. Language, culture, costumes and lifestyle should all be kept in mind while making policies. ’

Talking about the contest, he admitted that all the candidates were his competitors. “I’m not going to beat anybody, I’m going to win. He claimed that he would reach the federal parliament by ensuring victory this time. He said that the RSP has fielded itself with a clear objective and should work on big agendas like constitution amendment after going to the federal parliament.

Stating that a two-thirds majority was required for constitution amendment, Khatri pointed out the need of correcting some weak provisions in the constitution. “I will get approval from Bhaktapur for that,” he said. Commenting on the role of the National Assembly, he said although it is the spirit of the constitution that the National Assembly should be a forum for experts, it has deviated from its objective in recent times.

“It has become a hub for people who lost the election,” he said. He, however, believes that the pro-people bills cannot be obstructed by the National Assembly. “No one can obstruct anti-people when there is public pressure. Recalling his experience as a journalist for around 20 years, Khatri said that he has always been raising the voice of the people of the land.

“I have been a journalist for 20 years. During that time, I tried to speak the voice of the people. I tried to address the problems of the common people. While going into politics, I thought that those who do politics do not do politics. There is a need for intervention. The party president has also thought the same. Claiming that the RSP has adopted the issues of the Genji movement, he said that the main demands of the youth are issues like ending corruption, good governance, investigation into scandals and direct executive prime minister.

“The issue with the Genji is that they didn’t ask for anything big. What they were asking for was an end to corruption. It was about good governance. There were absurd things. Similarly, there were many scandals. It was supposed to be investigated. At the same time, there was talk of a direct executive prime minister. There is work to be done at the policy level to accomplish these things. The RSP takes responsibility for the Genji Movement to work at the policy level. ’

According to him, the political situation has changed after the incidents of September 23 and 24. He said that the youth came out on the streets in despair and the repression of them had deeply affected public opinion. “The situation after September 23 and September 7 is different. There were apprehensions that if the election was held in 084 or if the regular election was held, then the old party would come. But the situation is different after the 23rd and 24th. The September 23 and 24 incidents have shattered the old arithmetic. ’

According to Khatri, there is a clear awareness among the voters now. Especially women and first-time or second-time voters, remembering their children who have been killed or injured on the streets, are reluctant to vote for the old party.

“The people are in a testing phase and they will play a decisive role in this election,” he said. He claimed that even the rival parties have realized the consequences of the people’s wave towards the RSP.

“People have seen everything, so such attempts will not be successful,” he said. He also said that the government should move ahead the election process in a fair and efficient manner. Reminding that the RSP has already decided to go for election without forging an alliance with any political party, he said, “There is a clear provision in our statute not to forge electoral alliance. ’