Mahavir Pun: “I Am a Social Worker, Not a Politician”

Former minister and independent MP Mahavir Pun has stated that during his four months as a minister, he witnessed extreme politicization and various distortions in the education sector.

Speaking at the House of Representatives meeting on Thursday, he said he had taken initiatives to create a pure academic environment in schools, colleges, and universities to address the problems in the education sector.

He said, “During my four months as a minister, I saw numerous problems in the form of extreme politicization and distortions. I tried to remove these distortions and create a pure academic environment in schools, colleges, and universities.”

He added that he had drafted three bills to be introduced via ordinance and had attempted to implement four regulations. However, because the government at that time was a caretaker administration, these efforts could not succeed.

“I tried my best to introduce those ordinances and regulations even up to 40 hours before registering my candidacy on Magh 6, but the process could not move forward in the legislative committee,” he said.

He expressed frustration that although the then-Cabinet had approved the proposals and sent them to the legislative committee, the process did not progress, preventing him from making the reforms he had intended.

Pun presented himself as a social worker rather than a politician. He said, “I am not a politician aiming for politics; I am a social worker and will remain one. My role in the House will rise above the government-opposition divide and remain impartial.”

He also mentioned that he had no initial intention of contesting the House of Representatives elections but entered politics at the request of the youth following the “Janajagriti (Gen Z) Movement” on Bhadra 23–24, 2082 BS. “At that time, I was selling books in villages of Taplejung, but the Gen Z brothers and sisters made me the Minister of Education and Science,” he said.