KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress President Gagan Kumar Thapa has cautioned provincial and local governments against repeating what he described as the federal government’s mistakes in dealing with Nepal’s long-running landless settlers’ problem, warning that “bulldozer politics” cannot replace lawful and humane solutions.

Addressing a discussion on landless settlers under the party’s “Green Table” dialogue series at the Nepali Congress headquarters in Sanepa, Thapa said authorities must not bypass laws and policies in the name of managing informal settlements.

He stressed that fear-driven actions and arbitrary bulldozer operations were unacceptable, urging governments at all levels to work within legal boundaries and adopt planned approaches instead of forceful eviction campaigns.

Thapa said the decades-old landless issue should be addressed through proper identification of genuine landless people, safe rehabilitation, access to basic services and long-term settlement planning.

He also revealed that the party has formed a dedicated team to monitor and assess the issue.

Recommendations collected from the Green Table discussions will be formally communicated to provincial and local governments across the country.

The Nepali Congress recently launched the “Green Table” initiative to promote open and solution-focused discussions on public policy issues with experts and stakeholders, moving beyond traditional political rhetoric.