Nepali Congress president Gagan Thapa has proposed sweeping political, ideological, organisational and financial reforms in a political report he is preparing to present at the party’s 15th general convention.

The report reviews the party’s recent political record and acknowledges that its growing focus on power, positions, factions and access has widened its distance from the public. It proposes a new political culture and working style to reconnect the party with voters.

Thapa’s report says last year’s September 8-9 protests and the political developments that followed should not be dismissed simply as the product of a conspiracy. It calls instead for the demands for good governance, opportunity, justice and equality raised by the movement to be addressed.

It calls for an impartial investigation into the use of force, violence and damage caused by the state during the protests, followed by legal action against those responsible and justice and compensation for victims. It also calls on the party to examine the results of the March 5 election as a consequence of the two-decade-long widening gap between the Congress and the public.

The report proposes establishing the Congress as an effective principal opposition after the election. It calls for fact-based scrutiny of the government’s work, vigilance against corruption and rights violations, and the presentation of alternative policies. To support this role, it proposes establishing “shadow governments” at the federal and provincial levels.

The party should not enter pre-election alliances in future elections, according to the report. Instead, it should go to voters under its own electoral symbol, with its own candidates and agenda.

Candidate selection should be based on merit, contribution and performance rather than factional affiliation, personal connections or financial influence. The report proposes methods such as primary elections, referendums or direct voting by party members to select candidates.

On ideology, the report calls for a 21st-century reinterpretation of nationalism, democracy and democratic socialism. It links nationalism to the country’s capacity in energy, food, technology, finance and knowledge, while arguing that democracy should extend beyond voting in elections to continuous citizen participation and involvement in decision-making.

In economic policy, the report proposes making the private sector a key partner in job creation, production, investment and innovation. It calls for stronger investment protection, policy stability and a better business environment, as well as measures to encourage remittance income to be invested in agriculture, industry, tourism and technology. Hydropower and clean energy should be linked to industrialisation and green exports, it says.

Under the concept of a “prosperous Nepal, dignified Nepalis”, the report says economic growth alone is not enough and calls for equal access to education, healthcare, nutrition, skills, capabilities and opportunities. It links the concept of “pre-distributive justice”, which seeks to create equal opportunities from the outset, with education, healthcare, skills, financial access and employment.

The report proposes creating dignified jobs for young people at home, making foreign employment safer and more rights-based, and ensuring social security for Nepali migrant workers while directing remittances towards productive sectors.

Development planning should also reflect changing patterns of population and migration, rather than being based solely on administrative boundaries, it says. Plans should take into account where citizens actually live and where they need public services.

Agriculture, energy, water, tourism, industry and digital technology are identified as the foundations of a production-oriented economy. The report also calls for climate change to be treated as both an economic and national security issue, with disaster risks incorporated into infrastructure, settlement and development planning.

The party should restructure its education and skills systems in response to the changes that technology and artificial intelligence are bringing to employment, education and knowledge, according to the report.

Its social agenda includes tackling caste discrimination, child marriage, gender-based violence and malnutrition, while prioritising education, healthcare and social security for senior citizens, children, women and vulnerable groups.

To make federalism work more effectively, the report proposes stronger coordination among the federal, provincial and local governments, along with stronger administrative and fiscal federalism.

Any constitutional amendments should be made on the basis of national consensus, it says. Transitional justice should be concluded through truth, justice and reparations rather than being treated as a subject for political bargaining.

The report also proposes greater financial transparency within the party, regular audits, a code of conduct and investigations into leaders facing corruption allegations. It pledges that the party will not divide positions in the judiciary, constitutional bodies, universities or the civil service on the basis of political affiliation, nor protect its own leaders or activists accused of corruption.

Among the constitutional and electoral reforms proposed are a two-term limit for prime ministers, the option of “none of the above” on ballot papers, voting rights for Nepalis living abroad, and measures to make the electoral system more participatory and transparent.

The report proposes an independent panel of young experts to study youth dissatisfaction and the demands raised by Gen Z, with its recommendations to be made a mandatory part of policymaking. 

It also proposes establishing a Rs100 million endowment fund to provide long-term education and healthcare support to families of those killed, injured or displaced. 

Thapa proposes restructuring the party around cooperation among five generations, while creating institutional mechanisms for leadership development and training, policy formulation, elections and good governance. 

The report proposes reviewing the party’s political and organisational performance over the past two decades within the first 100 days of the new leadership. In the first year, provincial task forces would develop programmes on education, nutrition, employment, good governance and green development. The party would also publish an annual “Prosperity Report”. 

Overall, Thapa’s report presents the Congress’s future direction as a broader transformation of its political culture, organisation, economy, employment policies, relationship with the private sector, youth engagement, use of technology, social security, federalism and governance, rather than simply a change in party leadership.