Fissures develop within SPA, could trigger fresh polarization

Following the fresh ruckus generated by the government decision to nominate ambassadors and human rights officials, fissures seem to be widening not only between the government and the Maoists but also among the ruling Seven Party Alliance (SPA).

A day after Maoists flexed their muscles in the streets of Kathmandu, a senior leader of the ruling SPA has fired another salvo at the government.

Madhav Kumar Nepal, general secretary of the Unified Marxist Leninist (UML), has accused the Prime Minister and president of Nepali Congress (NC) Girija Prasad Koirala of taking decisions unilaterally.

"If this is the manner he works right now, how will he work when an interim constitution that vests all authorities in the Prime Minister is promulgated?" Nepal wondered aloud before his party workers on Wednesday.

The student wing of the UML has already announced protest programs and demonstrations against PM Koirala beginning Thursday.

Other constituents of the SPA like Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandidevi) and People's Front Nepal (PFN) are already miffed due to various reasons. The NSP has announced protests against the lack of fresh demarcation of electoral constituencies while the deputy prime minister Amik Sherchan-led PFN has blasted the decision of the cabinet to nominate ambassadors without consulting with Maoists.

Amid these developments, there are now leaders openly talking about the need of fresh polarization among the democrats and communists.

The UML and the Maoists have been repeatedly saying that they are in favor of broader communist alliance for ushering in democratic republic. Although they earlier had tried to rope in NC also in such alliance, PM Koirala shot down their offer. Koirala himself has been saying that all should come under a democratic umbrella.

Speaking in Syangja, Gopal Man Shrestha, Minister for Works and Physical Planning and a senior NC-Democratic leader, revealed that "efforts were on to forge an alliance of democrats."

It is still unclear whether such democratic alliance would include parties like Rastriya Prajatantra Party, RPP-Nepal and Rastriya Janashakti Party (RJP). RPP president Pashupati SJB Rana met with PM Koirala on Wednesday to request him to include RPP in vital decision making processes. RPP-Nepal president Rabindra Nath Sharma has openly appealed to PM Koirala to lead a democratic front.

However, the first step towards such polarization would be the unity between the NC and NC-D. Leaders of both the Congress parties have been saying that they would unite before CA elections. As such, the politics of the country seems poised to witness fresh polarization and alliances as things move towards CA elections. nepalnews.com sd Dec 21 06

Have your say ! (Registration required)