RSP General Secretary’s remark on extra points for party supporters sparks controversy

The RSP-led government previously scrapped around 1,500 political appointments across government bodies through an ordinance, citing excessive politicisation of public institutions. The positions left vacant are now being advertised for open competitive selection, and shortlisting processes are underway for several posts, including university vice-chancellors and ambassadors.

RSP had long opposed the appointment of party loyalists over qualified candidates, and that very agenda helped propel it as a new political force. Questions are now being raised about whether the party is abandoning that stance.

A recent statement by RSP General Secretary Kavindra Burlakoti drew concern.

Burlakoti made remarks that contradict the government’s own “Unified Procedure for the Selection and Recommendation of University Vice-Chancellors.”

He suggested that a person who has supported RSP would receive one additional point on top of their meritocracy score. In a video clip shared on his Facebook page, “Kabindra Burlakoti’s Secretariat,” he stated that someone who has motivated others to vote for RSP would gain an extra mark.

“There is a qualified person who is not affiliated with any party, who has taught honestly at university. They are not carrying RSP’s flag, nor any other party’s flag. They are equally competent. But if that person has also provided a little support, told people in their neighbourhood to vote for RSP, did not just sit in Kathmandu saying ‘what difference does it make who wins,’ and instead went to their village to encourage people to vote RSP, then that person gets one extra point,” said Burlakoti in the video.

The Ministry of Education and Sports has already published a shortlist of candidates for the vice-chancellor posts at eight universities under the unified procedure. The shortlists include 10 candidates each for Tribhuvan University, Purbanchal University, Pokhara University, Rajarshi Janak University, Mid-Western University, and the School of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, and seven for Lumbini Buddhist University. A total of 218 applications were received for these posts.

Prime Minister and University Chancellor Balendra Shah had formed a recommendation committee, chaired by Education Minister and Pro-Chancellor Sasmit Pokharel, to recommend vice-chancellor candidates. The Ministry had announced that the new procedure would ensure transparency and procedural impartiality in appointments.

The procedure stipulates that applicants must hold a PhD, be at least 40 years old, not be affiliated with any political party, submit a self-declaration of no conflict of interest with the university, and demonstrate expertise in academic advancement, among other criteria.

Burlakoti’s statement drew immediate pushback. Planning Commission member and Kathmandu University vice-chancellor recommendation committee member Reshu Aryal responded on social media, stating, “A dignified process is loyal to itself. Loyalty for sale, for one point, means nothing, and it [the process] does not recognise it.”

Tribhuvan University’s student union also formally objected, with student union president Deepak Raj Joshi issuing a press release demanding further clarification.

“If this remark is true, it constitutes a serious attack on university autonomy, the merit system, and the fundamental principles of impartiality. The honourable Kabindra Burlakoti’s statement has raised fears that universities, including Tribhuvan University, could be ‘RSP-ified’ through undue interference by the ruling party in the appointment processes of vice-chancellors and other officials,” the statement states.

Burlakoti subsequently clarified to Onlinekhabar that his remarks had nothing to do with university appointments. He said the comment was made in the context of how lateral-entry candidates seeking party election tickets would be evaluated alongside long-standing party members.

“What I said was among party members. If someone is qualified and honest and has also contributed even a little to the party, that person gets one extra point when it comes to receiving a ticket [to contest elections],” Burlakoti says. “What has now been misrepresented publicly as the government’s political appointments receiving an extra point, that is not what I said. The party has no such policy and will not adopt such a policy in the future.”

He elaborated that between two equally qualified and honest individuals who have taught at university, the one who has also contributed somewhat to the party would receive one additional point in the ticket allocation process, not in any government appointment.

“I have not made any statement regarding university appointments. The party and the government remain firm that university appointments must be based on merit and performance,” Burlakoti adds.