Nepali People Coordination Committee (NPCC), a sister organisation of Nepali Congress (NC), the ruling party in the Himalayan nation, recently organised a programme to mark 42nd National Unity and Reconciliation Day at Shalimar Palace, Najma.
The programme was chaired by Shankar Neupane, NPCC Acting President. The prominent guests included Ramesh Lekhak, former labour minister; Hari Aryal, Second Secretary at Embassy of Nepal; and leader Bishwo Prakash Sharma.
The day marks the return of the first democratically elected Prime Minister B P Koirala from India with a proposal of reconciliation with King Birendra Shah in order to establish the sovereignty of Nepali people.
NPCC celebrates the day every year in Qatar and organises different programmes. More than 300 Nepali expatriates attended the recent programme. The programme started with the national anthem of Nepal and silence was observed for one minute to remember the martyrs.
In the programme, Ramesh Lekhak talked about the recent political developments in Nepal. Although the NC lost the recent federal and state elections, Lekhak said, the party would always work in favour of peace and would carry out development projects. He praised the contribution made by non-resident Nepali community and the remittances sent by the workers that sustain the country’s economy.
“When I was the labour minister in 2007, I worked to ink a labour agreement between Nepal and Qatar.” He praised BP Koirala for his commitment to democracy. Lekhak said, “Likewise, the country can only be developed through reconciliation between the warring parties,”he said.
He added that the South Asian and East Asian regions were unstable. B P wanted to align with the king to thwart foreign intervention and to protect sovereignty of the Nepali people.
The ideology of Koirala instigated NC leaders to collaborate with leftist parties to gain democracy in 1990, Lekhak said. He said that the political landscape of Nepal was polarised and felt the need of reconciliation to move toward peace and development. 
He also requested all the Nepali people to follow the rule and regulations of their homeland.
NC Leader Bishwo Prakash Sharma said that ideology of unity and reconciliation had become victorious even though the party lost the recent elections. He stressed on co-operation between political parties and exchange of ideas between them to unite the country from Himalayan range to the southern plains.
NC Leader Bishwo Prakash Sharma actively plunged into politics in 1970 whilst being a school student in Jhapa. “All Nepali people must feel proud of being Nepali and to be the citizen of a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-cultural nation. Different languages and cultures exist in Nepal,” he said. “The variety has created a rich and unique national culture. Our national identity also depends upon this cultural and ethnic diversity,” Sharma said.
He served as a chairperson at Nepal Student Union, students’ wing of NC. Prime minister of Nepal Sher Bahadur Deuba, who is also president of the Nepali Congress, recently appointed Bishow Prakash Sharma as the party’s spokesperson.
Chanak Pokhrel, president of Nepali Overseas Forum, said people from diverse parties, regions and ethnic backgrounds should co-operate with each other to build a peaceful and developed Nepal.
Shankar Neupane, NPCC Acting President, congratulated Bishwo Prakash Sharma on being appointed as the spokesman of the party and stressed on timely revision of political thoughts of BP Koirala.
The programme also saw performances by Doha-based Nepali artistes as they entertained the large crowd with electrifying performances.


Related Story