Leadership to new generation: RPP-way

By TNW correspondent

The Rastriya Prajatantra Party –RPP- has, by electing Rajendra Lingden to the top post – President-, passed on leadership to new youth generation. The phenomenon, talked much but rarely practiced in Nepali politics, has been the talk of the town at the moment.

Senior politicos predict it will have some impact on the leadership-election of the parties which are going to hold their conventions in the future. Nepali Congress and the Maoist Centre which are close to their general conventions will also feel its impact in varying degrees, they said in Kathmandu on Monday.

A seasoned politician of RPP Kamal Thapa, who managed to be popular in both non-party Panchayat era and multi-party democratic setups for years in the past, lost the top post in his party to Lingden this time when other two heavy weight leaders of the party – Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani and Pashupati Shumshere Rana-  did not seek reelection for the sake of clearing way for youths of new generation.

Although the RPP has at the moment only one seat in the parliament – that too represented by Lingden – the Party has established its significance in Nepali politics because of its principles which emphasize monarchy, Hindu State and nonfederal structure as most suitable in the country. The new step the RPP took in passing on leadership to really fresh hands would earn the party some credit in politics and would help it to improve its parliamentary status in the next elections, observed a political commentator.

As for newly elected RPP President Lingden, he has a great uphill walk to improve the image of the party in the public while dedicating itself to democracy with monarchy, Hindu State and nonfederal structure. Moreover, Lingden will have to work hard to manage ambitions of old timers of the party and the aspirations of the youths. If he succeeds in these difficult tasks, he will emerge as a great leader of the party in modern times, said an insider of the RPP.

In the meanwhile, the leaders of NC and Maoist Centre and other parties which are yet to hold their general conventions have studied the RPP –phenomenon carefully. They appear careful in giving opportunities to the youths for encouraging their positive engagement in party-work in future. “Reaching leadership positions in the old parties is really tough and challenging because it remains always occupied by old timers who are reluctant to quit,” said a cadre of a Nepali Congress the other day.

Although clearing room for youths is highly urgent for modern Nepal, old leaders are not ready for this, complained a leftist cadre. “The RPP phenomenon would perhaps build pressure on the old leaders in this regard.”