Bhattarai was guided on his way by his deep religious convictions. Unsurprisingly, one his favorite books was the Bhagawat Gita, perhaps the important canon on one’s duties and obligations. But it is depressingly hard to find clean politicians like Bhattarai anymore.
Recently, the ministers in the Baburam Bhattarai government made public the details of their properties. Some of what has emerged is truly astounding. Minister for Physical Planning and Works Hridayesh Tripathi has amassed 190 tolas of gold and 32 kgs of silver, in addition to land and buildings in Kathmandu and Nawalparasi worth billions of rupees. He also has hefty bank balances and pricey shares in some of the top companies in the country. This is not to suggest that he earned them all through devious ways. In fact, according to Tripathi, the bulk of the properties were given to him in dowry.
Again, we are not trying to single out Tripathi. In fact, from MMLP’s Tripathi to CPN-UML’s Surendra Pandey to NC’s Prakash Saran Mahat, dowry has been the most common excuse of politicians when their riches have been discovered. When they cannot account for the vast sums from dowries, they resort to the other famous excuse: why, of course, they inherited most of their properties.
The fact is that many of these (and the bulk of other ministers, past and present) walked into public office with very little in their possession. It is also an open secret that most of them have accumulated their wealth by taking shortcuts. Some have been punished for their corrupt ways. NC’s Chiranjiwi Wagle is serving a jail term on the charge of misappropriation of funds. Many others, including some in the current cabinet, have corruption cases pending in the court.
Even if it were true that the source of the properties of our filthy-rich politicians is not under the counter payments but dowry, that makes them no better in the public eye. It is a shame that the people who should be at the vanguard of social change feel no compunction at accepting (and openly declaring) millions of rupees in dowry. Both accepting and giving dowry is illegal in Nepal.
The same politicians who distribute the dream of turning Nepal into Asia’s heaven are plundering the state and corrupting the society to such a degree that the benchmark for comparison for the country are no longer prosperous Singapore and Switzerland, the perennial shining stars for our politicians, but the corruption-plagued Sudan and Somalia. KP Bhattarai might well be turning in his grave.
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