Rastriya Janashakti Party

Infobox_Nepalese_Political_Party
party_name = Rastriya Janashakti Party
devanagari_name = राष्ट्रिय जनशक्ति पार्टी
colorcode =
party_
president = Surya Bahadur Thapa
secretary = Keshar Bahadur Bista
foundation = 2005
headquarters =
ideology =
international =
students = Rastriya Janashakti Student Union
youth =
labour =
women = Rastriya Janashakti Mahila Sangh
electoral_symbol =
website =

Rastriya Janashakti Party is a political party in Nepal, led by former Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa. Thapa had split away from the Rastriya Prajatantra Party in November 2004. [ [http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=21384 eKantipur.com - Nepal's No.1 News Portal ] ] The party is registered with the Election Commission of Nepal in March 2005. [http://www.iids.org.np/photo/dn3.pdf]

Leadership

The party is led by a Central Working Committee. [ [http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2006/jul/jul19/news03.php Nepalnews.com Mercantile Communications Pvt. Ltd ] ] Thapa is the chairman of the party. [ [http://www.unmin.org.np/?d=activities&p=activity_detail&aid=69 United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) : Activities » Activities Update » Activity Details ] ] Prakash Chandra Lohani is the vice chairman of the party. [ [http://www.telegraphnepal.com/news_det.php?news_id=2915 Telegraph Nepal : Seven Party “syndicate” cannot hold the election to the Constituent Assembly ] ]

plit from RPP

RJP emerged out of a split in the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, as Thapa left RPP on November 4, 2004. Thapa had been a founder of RPP in 1990. [ [http://www.nepalnews.com.np/archive/2004/nov/nov04/nov_04_news16.php Nepalnews.com (newsflash) Archive August 2004 ] ] On November 19, 2004, Thapa and his followers opened a 'contact office' in Balutwar, Kathmandu, to organise a broad political conference and coordinate the construction of a new party. [ [http://www.nepalnews.com.np/archive/2004/nov/nov21/nov_21_news8.php Nepalnews.com (newsflash) Archive August 2004 ] ] On December 27, 2004 the group formed a 320-member organising committee for the holding of the conference of the new party. Thapa was chairman of the committee, Lohani vice chairman and Buddhiman Tamang secretary. Other prominent members of the committee were Kamal Thapa, Hari Bahadur Basnet, Sarvendra Nath Sukla and Renu Kumari Yadav. [ [http://www.nepalnews.com.np/archive/2004/dec/dec27/news12.php Nepalnews.com (newsflash) Archive August 2004 ] ]

Kamal Thapa left the committee in January 2005. [ [http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2005/jan/jan11/news04.php Nepalnews.com Mercantile Connumications Pvt. Ltd ] ]

Foundation

The RJP was founded on March 13, 2005. The 'broad political conference' was, however, postponed due to the imposition of Emergency rule by King Gyanendra on February 1, 2005. [ [http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2005/mar/mar13/news06.php Nepalnews.com Mercantile Connumications Pvt. Ltd ] ] [ [http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2005/mar/mar12/news12.php Nepalnews.com Mercantile Connumications Pvt. Ltd ] ]

2005-2006 coup and revolt

RJP had expressed differences with King Gyanendra after the February 1, 2005 coup, over issues like political appointments in the local administrations. RJP accused the King of eliminating the forces working for constitutional monarchy, through his political actions. At the time, RJP tried to profile itself as a centrist party, in between positions advocating direct monarchical rule and republic. [ [http://fesportal.fes.de/pls/portal30/docs/FOLDER/WORLDWIDE/ASIEN/BERICHTE/BERICHTE2005/NEPALNEWS0905.PDF Nepal News Brief ] ] [ [http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=51537 eKantipur.com - Nepal's No.1 News Portal ] ]

RJP boycotted the 2006 municipal election. [http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=105929 eKantipur.com - Nepal's No.1 News Portal ] ]

During the Loktantra Andolan, the RJP suggested that the King Gyanendra would initiate talks with 'constitutional forces'. [ [http://www.rediff.com/news/2006/apr/18nepal.htm Nepal king meets former prime ministers ] ]

When the King was stripped of his political powers by the interim parliament, RJP did not object. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/05/18/nepal-thurs.html Nepalese parliament strips king's powers ] ]

Merger

In November 2006, the Prajatantrik Nepal Party led by Keshar Bahadur Bista merged into RJP. [ [http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2006/nov/nov26/news04.php Nepalnews.com Mercantile Communications Pvt. Ltd ] ] Bista became general secretary of RJP. [ [http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2007/apr/apr14/news06.php Nepalnews.com Mercantile Communications Pvt. Ltd ] ]

2008 election

Ahead of the Constituent Assembly election, RJP had proposed having a mixed election system, with 75 district representatives and 230 members elected through proportional representation. The party also proposed constituting an 'Ethnic Assembly' as the upper house of parliament. [ [http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2006/jul/jul13/news03.php Nepalnews.com Mercantile Communications Pvt. Ltd ] ] [ [http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=79382 eKantipur.com - Nepal's No.1 News Portal ] ]

In April 2007, the party dropped the term 'constitutional monarchy' from its party statue.

On February 15, 2008, RJP formed the Samyukta Samabeshi Morcha, a front of 'monarchist and democratic forces', along with Nepali Rastriya Janabhavana Party, Rastriya Janamukti Party and Rastriya Jana Ekta Party. The front favours ceremonial monarchy. [ [http://www.gorkhapatra.org.np/content.php?nid=36374 The Rising Nepal ] ]

On February 19, 2008, RJP had called for an election boycott, claiming that the situation in Madhes made elections impossible to hold. [ [http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=78357328-07e9-4d00-a008-469301b0f960&&Headline=Question+mark+on+elections+again Question mark on Nepal elections again- Hindustan Times ] ] [ [http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/6356819.html Former Nepali PM's party boycotts upcoming CA polls - People's Daily Online ] ] After an agreement was reached between United Democratic Madhesi Front and the Government of Nepal on February 27, 2008, and the UDMF parties pledge to contest the CA polls, the RJP declared that it would participate as well. [ [http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/feb/feb28/news10.php Nepalnews.com, news from Nepal as it happens ] ]

On March 6, 2008, Thapa declared that his party was not monarchist, but would accept the verdict of the voters. [ [http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/mar/mar07/news01.php Nepalnews.com, news from Nepal as it happens ] ] RJP MPs had previously boycotted a vote in the interim parliament on making Nepal a republic. [ [http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?nid=132640 eKantipur.com - Nepal's No.1 News Portal ] ] Thapa had dubbed the vote 'an attack on the fundamental norms of democracy'. [ [http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40591 POLITICS-NEPAL: Monarchy's Fate Sealed, Maoists to Rejoin Gov't ] ]

References