KATHMANDU, Sept 9: Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane has urged people to stop making insensitive remarks and ridiculing citizens who have lost everything in the recent Bhotekoshi flood, saying their anger should be understood as a plea for help rather than an attack on the state.
Speaking at the House of Representatives meeting on Wednesday, Lamichhane said those who have lost family members, homes and property should not be subjected to derogatory comments on social media or in public places.
“Let us stop, right now, making petty comments and sarcastic remarks on social media or in public spaces targeting the natural anger of citizens who have lost everything in this catastrophe,” he said.
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Lamichhane said it was natural for disaster victims to ask, “Where is the state?” during a crisis. He said the question should be answered not through blame and counter-blame but by visibly demonstrating the state’s presence on the ground.
“The most powerful way to refute complaints that the state has done nothing is to clearly show, with visible evidence, where the state is,” he said.
He said the state was currently searching for its citizens amid rubble and inside tunnels. The government should focus on providing shelter and support to displaced people, rebuilding roads and bridges destroyed by floods and restoring the trust of citizens affected by the disaster, he said.
Lamichhane also praised security personnel for risking their lives to rescue people trapped inside tunnels.
“The entire country bows to the indomitable courage of those who have put their lives on the line to save citizens trapped inside tunnels,” he said.
He thanked pilots, crew members, aviation personnel, medical workers and volunteers involved in rescue and relief efforts, while also praising the contributions of the private sector, media, non-resident Nepalis, social organisations and the general public.
Lamichhane said the government must look beyond immediate rescue and relief by developing stronger disaster preparedness and safer infrastructure and drawing up a long-term reconstruction plan.
He also urged the government to take strong action against any inhumane treatment of disaster victims, saying it must do more than issue statements and ensure that victims can feel the state standing with them.
