Kathmandu. The election activities of the political parties have intensified as the elections to the House of Representatives are approaching. Although the Election Commission (EC) has set the deadline for conducting the election publicity campaign by abiding by the election code of conduct, the controversy has intensified in Jhapa constituency-5 over allegations of violation of the election code of conduct.
CPN-UML Chairman and former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has been busy meeting voters in Jhapa-5 since Monday morning. In the meantime, the service recipients have complained that the regular service of the hospital has been affected after he reached Damak Hospital with the cadres.
Damak Hospital was full of patients since Monday morning. According to hospital sources, the number of patients has increased drastically as public holiday has been declared for two consecutive days. The cadres of the youth wing of the CPN-UML had gathered at the hospital gate at around 11:00 am, chanting slogans and slogans.
According to eyewitnesses, the counter, ward and emergency services were halted for some time immediately after Oli entered the hospital premises at around 1:50 pm. The service seekers who had been standing in queue for a long time to get medicines were further troubled after the pharmacy service was closed.
One of the service recipients, who did not wish to be named, said, “We had been standing in the queue since morning. Suddenly, the service stopped. We have brought patients, but no one has listened. Why use a sensitive place like a hospital for election campaigning?
Another service recipient commented that it was inappropriate to enter the hospital with force and affect the service. Ranjan Rai, who has been standing in the queue since 7 am, said, “We could not find a doctor even after waiting for hours. Whatever the leader does, will it happen?”
The election code of conduct, 2082 BS has prohibited political gathering, publicity or gathering at hospitals, schools and other sensitive public places. Clause 4 (c) clearly states that election-related programmes cannot be held using the territory of government and public institutions while Clause 4 (i) prohibits activities that obstruct public service and movement.
Election Officer at the Election Office, Jhapa, Tulasi Nepal, clarified that the election campaign would not be allowed to take place in sensitive areas like hospitals. Meanwhile, the administration of Damak Hospital has claimed that the service has not been disrupted for a long time. The hospital’s information officer, Dr. Anupam Ghimire said that the program was centered outside the hospital and had an impact only for some time. According to him, although the former Prime Minister was informed about his arrival earlier, the situation became uncomfortable due to the delay in the scheduled time.
He clarified that there was a ‘rest time’ when the doctors and nurses went to welcome him. But according to eyewitnesses, the service recipients were still waiting for treatment at that time. Oli was in the hospital premises at around 2:30 pm. During this period, there was a dispute between some service recipients and cadres. Witnesses said the situation became tense as a woman cried out that she was not getting treatment.
CPN-UML Jhapa-5 Election Mobilization Committee Coordinator Devendra Dahal, however, claimed that Oli had gone to inspect the hospital and not for election campaigning. According to him, the visit was made only to take stock of the condition of the hospital as Oli had contributed to the upgrading of the hospital and there was no intention to affect the service.
However, this is not the first time that Oli has been accused of violating the code of conduct. On Sunday, Himalaya Secondary School in Damak-2 was criticized for holding a political program, while the election code of conduct clearly prohibits political activities in schools and educational institutions.
As the election atmosphere heats up, public services are being affected, raising questions among voters about the responsibility of political parties. On the other hand, RSP candidate Balendra Shah (Balen) has been accused of creating uncomfortable situation on the road by gathering a crowd. Passengers have started complaining that they are facing problems due to the problem in vehicular movement.
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