KATHMANDU, Jan 11: Nepali Congress (NC) leader Dr. Chandra Bhandari has sharply criticized his party’s leadership for indulging in a culture of luxury.
Addressing the party’s Special General Convention at Bhrikuti Mandap on Sunday, Bhandari said that even a ruler labeled “autocratic” had relinquished power with ease, while today’s democratic leaders require helicopters and heavy security for protection.
Lust for luxury
“King Gyanendra invited us to the palace, handed over the royal insignia and crown, wished us well and left smiling, driving his own car,” Bhandari said. “But what about our leaders? They need helicopters just to be kept safe. Is that democracy?”
Bhandari argued that democracy is not about building houses for a few or offering luxury vehicles to select individuals. “Providing homes or cars to some is not democracy,” he said. “Our goal today is to revive the true spirit of democracy.”
He also accused leaders of the past 34 years of surrounding themselves with loyalists and sycophants. He warned that good governance fails when power is confined to inner circles.
“A country does not prosper by empowering those who merely orbit leaders,” Bhandari said. “When the right people get opportunities, the nation progresses; without capable individuals, no number of positions can build a country.”
