Labour Culture Party and Rastriya Prajatantra Party Will Not Receive Chief Whip Privileges

The Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and the Labour Culture Party will not receive the privileges designated for the Chief Whip in the federal parliament. According to the Federal Parliament Act 2073, parties with fewer than 10 members are not entitled to the Chief Whip’s privileges. The Labour Culture Party has 7 members and the RPP has 5 members in parliament, which disqualifies them from these benefits. Kathmandu, 8 Chaitra – two of the six national parties currently lack entitlement to Chief Whip privileges. These parties are the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and the Labour Culture Party.

Under the Federal Parliament Officials and Members’ Remuneration and Benefits Act 2073, only parties with more than 10 members can appoint and receive benefits for a Chief Whip. The Act defines a Chief Whip as “a member appointed by the party leader from among those having more than ten members in the House of Representatives.” Following the 21 Falgun elections, six parties are represented: Labour Culture Party with 7 MPs, and RPP with 5 MPs.

The other parties include the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSWP) with 182 MPs, Nepali Congress with 38, UML with 25, and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) with 17 MPs. According to the remuneration and benefits law, the Chief Whip receives vehicle facilities and a driver for two first-level officials. They are also provided a separate office with one office assistant and a bicycle. Additionally, there is a monthly guest hospitality allowance of NPR 15,000.

The Chief Whip is entitled to one national talent personal secretary, although this provision is currently inactive. To gain national recognition, a party must win at least one direct seat and secure at least 3% of the proportional vote. However, even if this threshold is met, a party must have at least 10 MPs to qualify for Chief Whip privileges. Smaller parties have criticized this rule. Arena Rai, General Secretary of the Labour Culture Party, stated that once recognized as a national party, the number of MPs should not affect service privileges. “There should be no discrimination in service facilities after becoming a national party. There is a distinction between the Chief Whip and whip privileges. If a party has fewer than 10 members, one set of facilities is provided; if more, another. After becoming a national party, there should be no discrimination in programs,” Rai said.