Kathmandu, August 2
The Rastriya Janata Party Nepal on Wednesday inaugurated its new central office in Babarmahal of Kathmandu. The building, however, is owned by the government.
The Madhesh Bhawan was earlier housing the central office of Madheshi Civil Servants’ Forum, an organisation of Madheshi government employees.
The RJPN was functioning without its central office building since the merger of six Madhesh-centric parties in April. It was holding central committee and other meetings at a house in Bijulibazaar, where the central office of erstwhile Terai Madhesh Democratic Party was located.
Meanwhile, a member of the RJPN presidium, Rajendra Mahato, says the building has been rented by the party for a short period only.
President of the Madheshi Civil Servants’ Forum, Binod Kumar Singh, agrees with Mahato and comments it is not a big issue.
The government, however, says renting government property is also illegal. Secretary at the Ministry of General Administration, Mohan Krishna Sapkota, says the building was given to the staff’s organisation for its use and no political party or any other organisation could use it.
President of the official trade union of government employees, Punya Dhakal, also says establishing party office at the government-owned building is inappropriate.
