Excerpts of an interview with Gore Bahadur Khapangi of the Rastriya Janamukti Party

Today we dalits and people of ethnic groups are not organised. Taking advantage of that, the organised forces in power have been repeatedly raping [sic] our rights. Those who exploit others can never be free themselves. The government has not created the backdrop needed to engage dalits, people from ethnic groups, madhesis and other minorities, in development. The state has not brought about a program for dalits who have also shed their blood for this nation and nation-building. We have a commission for dalits, but what can we do, the appointees are cronies of those in government. The problems of the dalits are as they were before the Commission was formed.

.In this country we have been used to recognising only three forces, the leftists, the rightists and the royal palace. This constitution (1990) was drafted as a compromise between the three. Now we are seeing a fourth force also organising and taking the shape of a major force, those who have been exploited on the basis of caste and class. The dalits and the madhesis are also organising, that is another force. But those in government have continued to neglect these forces. These forces have to be brought into the fold. This democracy needs to be guaranteed for future generations.. In less than 12 years after we established democracy, there are already bloodstains on the path to democratisation. At a time when we should be only worrying about getting enough sleep, we have to fear being shot down. Those who have been elected to lead us have turned out to be corrupt. Democracy cannot remain in a situation that is leading to the wakening of the nation. Nationalism can remain even without democracy, but democracy cannot remain without nationalism. Nepal's nationalism is more important than democracy because only that can safeguard sovereignty.