Hit Bahadur Thapa (HB Kham)
Introduction:
Gore Bahadur Khapangi was the first founding General Secretary of Nepal Rastriya Jamamukti Morcha which was founded in 1990 with Malwar Singh Thapa (MS Thapa) as its founding chairman. The party contested the 1991 general elections with a man as their electoral symbol. Later on the party merged with Rastriya Jana Party on 20 January 1992 and renamed itself, Rastriya Janamukti Party also adopting a house as its electoral symbol. This was the time when Nepal was just ushered into a new era of multiparty system after overthrowing the 30 years old –Panchayat system in the country. Khapangi was a strict communist leader of teachers association by ideology before working as General Secretary of this new party.
Contribution to multi ethnic community social awareness
In 90’s Khapangi’s speeches mainly focussed on multi ethnic community voices to protest the existing social discriminations rampant in the country. His speeches mainly aroused the sentiments of freedom, equality and liberty among the socially discriminated and suppressed groups such as indigenous and Dalits among others. His charismatic leadership in the new political domain inspired various other indigenous marginalized ethnic communities to raise their voices, socially, politically and culturally. The period of cultural revival had also begun at that time.
So, most of the downtrodden population of the country listened to speeches delivered by Khapangi at various nooks and corners of the country. When he spoke, “Even dogs and cats are allowed to enter the houses of the high caste Brahmins, but Dalits are not allowed to enter their houses, which indicates that Dalits are considered inferior to even animals in this country which implies that Dalit people of this country are denied their basic human rights deliberately, despite advent of so called democracy and multi-party system in the country,” huge round of applauses were heard among the audiences. His speeches aimed at uprooting social discriminations, raising political awareness gave confidence to the people of marginalized communities who had been following the leadership of traditional frame work.
Contribution to Political awareness among the marginalized and indigenous communities
As soon as Khapangi roared about issues of the deprived and disadvantaged people to come forward and take proactive role as political leaders and political cadres, most of the major political parties including ruling and opposition parties started bringing a drastic shift in their party hierarchy and in fielding candidates during the general elections and local elections. His party also took part in most of the elections and at one time secured more than 100000 votes and even two persons were elected to the parliament through proportional representation. Khapangi himself was appointed as Minister for Social Welfare and children when former King Gyanendra took over the political power in his hands. His political theory regarding federalism, secularism and proportional representation on the basis of ethnic population created a new political wave in those days when the country’s major political parties never said anything about these political theories before the public. This new political theory was based on Swiss model.
He also said that since Nepal’s main class as well as ethnic enemy is the same, the only ethnic struggle would suffice to bring a total political emancipation of the over 70% multi ethnic population represented by over 100 ethnic communities.
Actually, just as Mao Se Tung and Lenin used their political acumen to revolutionize their countrymen based on the political suppression and injustices, Khapangi as a unique ethnic leader wanted to use his political acumen to liberate the whole mass of multi ethnic people who were being suppressed by the people of different ethnic community, race and religion. He believed that once the multi ethnic people of Nepal become aware of their worse situation, they would change their political opinion and decide to change the political system through ballot,
Contribution to concept about Federalism and Secularism
It was Khapangi and his new party that for the first time in Nepal during 1990’s explored the opportunities and boldly put forward the demand for federalism and secularism. The political manifesto of Khapangi said that Nepal should be declared as a federal state depending upon the possibility of creating provinces based either on ethnic population or based on historical territories.
Khapangi during his political speeches delivered at various parts of the country also vehemently advocated on declaring Nepal as a secular state instead of continuing the monopoly of one religion and one nation state theory. He had advocated for multi-ethnic nation state theory with ethnic nationalism and internal sovereignty. He had also challenged the on-going composition of three organs of the state where one community overwhelmingly dominated thereby displaying unbalanced practices of democracy and human rights in the country. However, the theory of federalism and secularism was adopted by all political power actors in the country after the constituent assembly election.
Contribution to concept of proportional representation
Khapangi had also spoke explicitly about the application of proportional representation in all aspects of mainstream development which was ignored by the power actors and stakeholders until the outbreak of Maoist triggered armed insurgency that culminated into all party 12 point agreement which gave way to federalism, secularism and formation of interim constitution that ultimately gave space for proportional representation theory partially as advocated by Khapangi. Though the major political parties took the advantage of this theory of representation in the new political context, yet the real dream and vision about federalism and proportional representation seen by Khapangi did not materialized in reality.
Leadership development of indigenous peoples
With the emergence of Khapangi as the main leader of indigenous multi -ethnic community people in the front line, many local leaders and national leaders of deprived communities also brushed up their leadership dimensions and came forward to demand for more pluralistic social and political paradigm in the country which could give space to all ethnic communities irrespective of their language, culture, education, religion and backgrounds. Several other fronts led by indigenous and Dalit people also emerged to challenge the existing status quo in the country after 1990. Dozens of social organizations also started running social and political campaigns to empower their community people. However these social organizations have deviated from their main roadmap.
How was Khapandi considered by people?
Khapangi with his unique personality in long beard used to look like Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam and used to deliver speeches across the country like Nelson Mandela of South Africa as he spoke wildly against the maladies of “ Bahundbad” that according to him actually crippled the nation and like the American civil rights movement leader Martin Luther King Jr by speaking about the political awareness and need to develop leadership among the deprived section of people until he was seriously injured in an accident and died of the same injuries after few years. He was a Messiah of the disadvantaged communities.
He was a very simple minded leader who revolted against the communism in Nepali context and conceptualized a political liberation theory of new party for multi ethnic people to reach a state of being called a multi ethnic nation state by politically empowering all the deprived people of this country to enjoy their multi ethnic nationalism with national sovereignty intact. His inspiration and speeches have impacted millions of people in this country as an outcome of which many ethnic leaders are emerging gradually at different fronts. He never ran after earning money by hook and crook. He used to live a life of simple living and high thinking. In fact he was a national figure, who ignited the light of both social as well as political awareness among the people living on the margins and periphery. His biography should be taught in the school and college curriculum in social study for his immense contribution. But this has not happened in the country due to prejudiced outlook of the elite leaders, who are at the helm of affairs.
My memories about Gore Bahadur Khapangi
During Khapangi’s leadership days as General Secretary of Rastriya Janmukti Party and as president of Nepal Magar Association, I have travelled to various parts of the country including travelling to Udaipur, Jhapa, and Baglung districts. I still have sweet memories of his pragmatic gossips with me while walking in the midnight while traveling to Udaipur when we attended a convention of Magar Association in Udaipur.
I remember one of his saying. He used to say, “Hey, Hit kill your curiosity with knowledge and wisdom,” which I could not understand at that time and now I understand in my old age. Sometimes I used to ask him, “Why did you resign from Nepal communist party and establish this new party for the multi ethnic peoples emancipation?”. He would reply, “ Since the top leadership of Nepal communist party did not raise the issue of the right of ethnic peoples’ self-determination and ethnic nationalism as advocated by Lenin, I left that party and gladly did what I am doing now,” said he.
I visited him in the Norvic hospital when he was brought back from Singapore. On that day as we are attending him, we saw two police personal coming to the hospital bed room where former Minister Khapangi was hospitalized. I and my friend whispered that how discriminatory the government has been in sending only two police personnel to ask for the welfare of the former minister. Had he been like other ministers from different community, there would have been crowd of government vehicles and police personnel to see the health status of former minister Khapangi. Even his death rituals were not done with high state honour. He was cremated like a normal person though the other mass to mourn his death was uncountable at the cremation ground. I heard that the Nepal government at that time also did not pay much attention to the ill health of Khapangi as the cabinet of that time only endorsed a financial support of 200000 ( two hundred thousand rupees only) for the medical treatment of injured Khapangi.
It seems that a hidden political conspiracy theory was at work to see the demise of this great leader who can never be replaced by other leaders. I personally believe that if all top leaders of this country were to be gathered to stand alongside Khapandi in a row, Khapangi’s personality would have overshadowed them. I believe that Khapangi surpassed other leaders in speech and wisdom too. He would often say, “If you have a dream for 100 years from now, you should sow the seed of awareness among the people.”
In fact his popularity as an emerging ethnic leader as quoted by some foreign writers in their books about Nepal and many of his followers who even started worshiping him in some corners of the country and his single movement in public life cost him his life. May almighty God create such a situation that we are able to see his reincarnation again to fight for our people.
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