Oct 17, Kathmandu - Nepali Congress Chairman Gagan Kumar Thapa has urged party members to replace him if he falls short in leading the party, saying no individual is bigger than the institution.

Speaking at his swearing-in ceremony at the party’s central office in Sanepa, Lalitpur, on Saturday, Thapa said the party should not bear the burden of any leader’s personal failings or misconduct.

“If I ever feel that I have failed, the Nepali Congress should remove me as president and move forward,” he said. “Because an individual is not greater than the party.”

Thapa pledged to remain accountable in every aspect of his personal, family and financial life. He described the party as a public institution built through the contributions and sacrifices of thousands of leaders and activists, and said individuals must take responsibility for their own mistakes.

“My shortcomings are my responsibility, not the party’s. That is my pledge,” he said.

Addressing the country’s current challenges, Thapa said it was a matter of serious national concern that thousands of young people were leaving Nepal through Tribhuvan International Airport—even on the day of Phulpati, a major Dashain festival occasion. While acknowledging that change would not happen overnight, he said the Congress must make an honest effort to create conditions in which young people can live with dignity in their own country.

Thapa also said he would take responsibility for bringing dissatisfied party members together, urging leaders and activists to stop dwelling on frustration and complaints.

“Let’s leave behind long talks of despair and grievances,” he said. “Leave it to me to bring dissatisfied colleagues within the party together. I will fulfil that responsibility.”