Rastriya Swatantra Party

The smart emergence of Rastriya Swatantra Party in Nepali politics as an impressive, competitive fourth force next to seasoned, organized parties such as Nepali Congress, CPN UML, Maoist Centre and CPNS has attracted public attention. As the RSP goes on formulating its ideology, vision, mission and strategy for its future course particularly the role it has to play in parliament through its 7 members, it would be better if it considers the context, reality and trends of politics in the country. In absence of this homework the RSP will find it quite challenging to cope with the realities of Nepal parliament. Because politics is a new field for the top RSP leaders and parliamentarians they had better learn the fundamentals of politics particularly the politics as practiced by the three leading ones. Ignoring this will be a mistake for the RSP today is in political platform. What was enough for electioneering to catch voters’ attention in poll would not be helpful in coping with problems in parliament and the country’s politics. While emphasizing meritocracy, professionalism, popular support in governance, anti-corruption measures and criticising  the past non-performance of political leaders in power could be a good talking point, they would not facilitate to prepare the base of a new party through which RSP could launch its political journey on a sustainable way. The country, in view of the three leading parties’ ego-based, leader-centric and transactional politics experienced over the past three decades, needs today an alternative political force. The RSP today is in position today to offer that. People hoped for the same as they lifted through their mandate the politically unknown quantity such as RSP to the great height of the fourth place in parliament. The RSP leaders and its law makers cannot let the people down.  They have to work out right policy and right strategy and public service-oriented ideology for the same. The RSP has to clarify where it stands ideologically – right of centre or left of centre or simply middle path. A number of political and economic issues, for example, federalism particularly the way to implement it honestly, citizenship, secularism, foreign relations, export of youths-labour, press matters, unemployment, public health, delivery of public service, governance, ICT, development and infrastructure building, sustainability etc. are begging immediate clarity from RSP. The key questions being raised are: how could RSP bring about bonding among its parliamentarians and leaders with diverse professional background; has the RSP learnt lessons from the way previous attempts of building a third alternative political force in Nepal failed; could it avoid the same? Responding to the issues is a must for a new party to build image on a sustainable way.