Nepal: Frustrated Maoists Go on the Offensive- Update No. 209

NEPAL: Frustrated Maoists Go on the Offensive: Update No. 209

By Dr. S.Chandrasekharan

Having failed to reach a consensus on condemning the action of the President, the Maoists have taken to the streets. On November 3^rd, they picketed the seat of the government- the "Singha Durbar" as also the administrative offices ( DAOs across the country.) Their programme for a fortnight includes public boycott of meetings attended by the President, the Prime minister, the government officials and non cooperation in all activities relating to the government. Their attempt for the present, is to disrupt the daily schedule of government offices across the country.

Kathmandu valley witnessed thousands of Maoist cadres participating in the protest programmes. The agitation was peaceful and despite the promise of the Maoists, the protest programme may turn violent any time.

Few believe Prachanda when he declared in one of his meetings at Biratmode on 5^th of November, that the present agitation is not for forming a new government but for establishing civilian supremacy.

If the civilian supremacy is what they want, they could easily come to a consensus on the text of the resolution to be passed in the parliament and if need be, amend the constitution. But what they really want and perhaps not understood by many is that they want to come back to power by any means.

In the same Biratmode meeting, Prachanda declared that his party is in favour of a national unity government and of course under their leadership. They have been unable to remove the present Madhav Nepal government which they had said many times before that it will be done before the end of October.

It is now realised too late in the day that in the government they had formed earlier, they should have brought the Nepali Congress into the government rather than making them the opposition. They could have according to them avoided the present conflict.

The UN Secretary General in his report on UN’s assistance in Nepal’s Peace Process said - I quote- " A Government of national unity remains desirable for timely promulgation of the country’s new constitution and for the successful integration and rehabilitation of Maoist Army personnel."

It is presumed that he did not mean that the new constitution and the integration of PLA should be in sequence as the Maoists would desire. But he has unwittingly given in to the Maoists’ real intention to come back to power on the platform of a "national unity government" at the expense of the present government which still has a majority in the interim parliament.

The UN Secretary General should be aware that the Maoists by virtue of their dominance in the parliament want to have the national unity government "under their leadership" and not otherwise!

In one of the Public Relations offensive of the present government- in a dinner hosted by K.P.Oli, on 3^rd November, Dr. Baburam Bhattarai declared that they prefer to take the peace process forward and they must draft a new constitution that could be as progressive as possible!

Another point he made, was that given the geopolitical situation - the next conflict may well turn Nepal into Afghanistan and that it will be a war where there will be no clear winners.

If they fear that Nepal would turn out to be another Afghanistan, then why are they threatening of another conflict repeatedly and at the same time assuring everyone that they will not go back to the jungles. Why then did Bhattarai say a few days earlier on 26^th October that they are still waging a "protracted people’s war?" .

The whole idea appears to be to intimidate the present Madhav Nepal government to cave in and leave the Maoists to come back to power. This, I hope, is understood by all non Maoist political parties and the UN.

The Nepali Congress Mahasamiti:

Finally, the senior members of the Nepali Congress after a lot of hesitation made bold to clip the wings of the President as in the present structure, the President is too powerful and could run the party as an autocrat as he sometimes does.

When the Mahasamiti was in session, three senior members, Sher Bahadur Deuba, R.C. Paudel and Sushil Koirala met the present president G.P. Koirala and explained to him the changes they intend to make primarily to make the party structure and the central committee, more representative and more democratic. It is said that G.P. pleaded with them not to weaken the post of the President at the time when Nepal is facing a political crisis.

Yet the Samiti ( November 1 to 3) went through with their proposals but with a little compromise. Now 75 percent of the 85 member of the central committee will be elected (compared with 50 percent) and the president will recommend a vice President, one of the two general secretaries, and a joint secretary.

The decisions of the Mahasamiti will come into effect from March next year when the party’s general convention would meet and endorse the proposals.

It is time the senior and aged Nepali Congress leaders leave the field open to youngsters like Gagan Thapa, Ram Hari Khahwada, Chandra Bhandari, Badri Narsing Kc and only they have the stamina to confront a better organised and disciplined party like that of the Maoists.