NEPALI CONGRESS
On Republican Drive
Nepali Congress moves to the republican front dumping BP’s legacy in dustbin
By A CORRESPONDENT
From giving space to the King and talking about the abdication of King Gyanendra and Crown Prince Paras and finally throwing the idea for baby King, prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala finally seems to have closed the monarchical chapter as he has asked his party colleagues to formulate party manifesto pleading for Democratic
Republic.
As all other political parties, Nepali Congress is now one of the many republican parties in the election and has now to compete with radical and moderate communists who have been championing the agenda of republic for a long time.
Although B.P. Koirala suffered a lot during his political career during the direct rule of monarchy, he always upheld the view that constitutional monarchy is essential to protect Nepal’s integrity and urged reconciliation between monarchy and democratic forces to safeguard Nepal’s national unity.
“The party will prepare the manifesto after consultation with all the leaders, workers and various stakeholders,” said Laxman Ghimire, central committee member of Nepali Congress.
For Nepali Congress- a party attached with a great legacy of legendary leader B.P. Koirala- it is not easy for its leaders to do away with their traditional stand. Nobody knows what prompted prime minister Koirala, who has such a long political career fighting for the cause of liberal democracy, to take the decision for republican?
Sources close to prime minister Koirala said that this is a move to rebuff India. According to sources, Koirala suspects that India is trying to remove him from the prime ministerial position. Last week, Koirala openly told his colleagues that India does not want him to hold the CA elections.
“Koirala’s message is clear. If you remove me from power, I will harp the slogan of republic and anti-India,” said a former member of his close coterie. “Girijababu is also unhappy as he holds the view that India forced him to postpone his visit to China last month.”
Prime minister Koirala is also said to have become very suspicious when there appeared news that Indian ambassador Shiv Shanker Mukherjee met King Gyanendra. The message of ongoing political process shows that prime
minister Koirala’s utility is closing to an end.
RPP-NEPAL IN ELECTION MODE
Defending Constitutional Monarchy
RPP-Nepal has kicked off its election campaign defending constitutional monarchy
and Hindu Kingdom
By A CORRESPONDENT
Some see him as a Chanakya of Nepali politics and others see him as a shrewd manipulator. Whatever be the case, president of Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal Rabindra Nath Sharma, a former Panchayati leader, launched his party’s election campaign defending the cause of constitutional monarchy and Hindu Kingdom.
At a time when all other parties are moving towards republican ideology and secular
postures, Sharma’s party has decided to uphold the constitutional monarchy and
Hindu Kingdom. At his last leg of political career, Sharma is pleading not to turn Nepal into a theocratic state but a Hindu Kingdom with religious freedom like that of 1990 Constitution of Kingdom of Nepal.
For Sharma, the political battle ground is open and without any competitor. Even two major parties of erstwhile Panchas have given up these two slogans. “I am not defending absolute and tyrannical monarchy but what I am defending is monarchy with a limited role. My party’s stand on religion is very clear as we want to give complete religious freedom to all,” said Sharma opening the convention of RPP youth.
As Maoists are even forbidding leaders of their coalition partners like Nepali Congress and CPN-UML, how New RPP leaders will visit their constituencies to address the mass meeting remains to be seen.
Sharma was physically assaulted twice in the past in Pokhara and Jhapa while addressing the meeting of his party workers. “We have to go to village at any cost. If Maoists will repeat their previous style, we will have to take necessary safety arrangements,” he said.
When the parliament was functional, Sharma was instrumental in making and breaking the government twice. Then, he was humiliated by King’s regime which arrested him on corruption charges. The court acquitted him of all the charges recently.
“I am campaigning for the constitutional monarchy because only monarchy can safeguard Nepal’s independence and sovereignty,” said Sharma. “It is not a question of personal like or dislike but the question of conviction.”
Attended by more than two hundreds youths from different parts of the country, in his inaugural speech, Sharma urged his workers not to be afraid of any kind of threats. “Monarchy has a long history in Nepal and one cannot uproot its influence overnight,” said Sharma. “With overwhelming majority of Nepalese being Hindus who practice complete tolerance and respect to other religions, there is nothing wrong to preach to make Nepal as a Hindu Kingdom.”
One has to see how this Chanakya will bring change in the country’s political scenario.
UN Stresses Improved Security, Political Commitment For Polls
The second report prepared by the United Nations Electoral Expert Monitoring Team (EEMT) has been handed over by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to the government and the Chief Election Commissioner.
The report details the findings of the second visit by EEMT team led by Dr. Rafael Lopez-Pintor (between July 27 and August 6). It mentions that the security situation has not improved since the first visit in June.
"The EEMT states that establishing an adequate security environment for the Constituent Assembly election will depend not so much on the number of police or arms deployed, but on cooperation between political parties and clear instructions to their activists in the districts. Only this kind of cooperation will result in the creation of peaceful conditions for the poll and positively contribute to the acceptance of results," the report says.
The EEMT, in its report, strongly encourages the political parties in government to issue a joint public statement expressing their unified and firm commitment to the conduct of the Constituent Assembly election on 22 November as well as to improving the security conditions for the conduct of the elections.
"The EEMT reports that conditions for freedom of the press still prevail in the country. However, it states that the ability of journalists to report and publishers to distribute their publications faces serious limitations, citing threats against journalists, especially in the Terai, and the blocking by Maoist union workers of the distribution and circulation of daily publications for over three days."
Likewise, the EEMT states its support for the efforts of the Election Commission to finalize the development of a comprehensive and detailed set of procedures for all main steps for the preparation and conduct of the election. "
A set of consolidated and clear procedures that provide for all aspects of the electoral process will help ensure clarity and consistency and enable the Election Commission to implement important training and voter education programs, and will clarify the rules of the game for all stakeholders."
Regional Connectivity Proposed
The meeting of senior ministers of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) have agreed to proceed with promoting regional connectivity.
Altogether nine sub-regional and regional projects aimed at promoting greater connectivity in South Asia were proposed at the first meeting of the SAARC transport ministers held in New-Delhi Friday (August 31).
The projects which have been dubbed 'ambitious' include a rail corridor between India's Chennai and Colombo in Sri Lanka, a road from Agartala (India) to Chittagong (Bangladesh), flights between New Delhi and Islamabad, ferry service between Colombo and Cochin and air connectivity between Male and New Delhi, according to Indo-Asian News Service (IANS). India also suggested linking Birgunj in Nepal, to Katihar in Bihar and Chittagong and Agartala in India's Tripura state.
"Member states would be examining the viability and desirability of these projects for reporting to the third meeting of the inter-governmental group on transport scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka in the second of week of March next year," a statement by the Indian external affairs ministry said.
The meeting also discussed the report of the SAARC Regional Multimodal Transport Study (SRMTS) prepared and funded by the Asian Development Bank and recommended extending the study to include Afghanistan. The SAARC delegates also examined the preliminary technical inputs provided by the Asian Development Bank and the alternate draft Motor Vehicle Agreement proposed by India. The SAARC Secretariat would prepare the final draft after incorporating views of all member states, IANS reported.
The SAARC Regional Motor Vehicle Agreement, among other things, contains a proposal that citizens of any member country be able to drive through the SAARC countries in their personal cars for personal purposes such as attending a friend's wedding. The visitors would receive three-day visas and they would encounter minimum hassles at border check posts. India also made a presentation on postal connectivity in South Asia, which was appreciated by other SAARC countries.
The regional connectivity can benefit tens of millions of people in the region. The region is home to one-sixth of global population. However, the continued political instability, regional and internal strife and poverty have hampered the balanced growth of the region.
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