KATHMANDU, Sept 22: House of Representatives (HoR) member Rachana Khatiwada has said she did not enter politics out of political ambition or a desire for power, but to seek justice for her son and other young people killed during the Gen Z movement.
Addressing the HoR meeting, Khatiwada said she came to Parliament to continuously press the government to ensure justice for the families of those who lost their lives in the movement.
“I had no political ambition or desire for a position. This was my journey to seek justice,” she said. “The piece of my heart who grew in my womb for nine months, who grew up before my eyes taking his first steps, was seeking justice through a hot bullet and his spilled blood.”
Khatiwada said the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) approached her at her doorstep and she became a lawmaker after repeated requests from the prime minister. She said she entered Parliament to ensure that the sacrifices of her son and other Gen Z youths did not go in vain.
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She said she would not hesitate for even a second to resign as a lawmaker once the Gen Z movement’s martyrs receive full justice. “The day the martyrs of the Gen Z movement receive full justice, I will not hesitate for even a second to resign from this parliamentary position,” she said.
Khatiwada, however, objected to comments that she had come to Parliament to “trade her son’s dead body for a parliamentary position.” She said such remarks had left her stunned.
“Your sons and daughters are with you. You can laugh and play with them and see a future with them. But my world has been devastated. My lap is empty,” she said. She added that she was ready to immediately resign as a lawmaker if her son could be brought back alive and placed in her arms.
She urged people to understand her pain as a mother before making accusations against her. Khatiwada also urged critics to think “a thousand times” before using abusive remarks such as “she came to trade her son’s dead body for a position” and warned against making political attacks on a mother’s love and affection.
Khatiwada said she did not enter politics to incite ordinary citizens against one another and become a leader or a “medical mafia.” “I came here to raise questions and hold the government to account. My son became a martyr, and I came here with the hope that no other son like mine will have to die,” she said.
Saying that she also had many questions and grievances against the government, Khatiwada said she would speak responsibly. She questioned why the government remained silent when the mother of a Gen Z martyr was being insulted. “Our sons’ blood has not yet dried. Please work in a way that gives us a sense that justice is being served,” she urged the government.
