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Kathmandu Tuesday December 11, 2001 Marga 26 2058.
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Show patience
Citing the failure of peace talks with the
Maoists, the Koirala coterie within the Nepali Congress (NC) party severely criticised
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba the other day. The salvo came at the meeting of the
NC’s Central Working Committee (CWC). Prime Minister Deuba had brought the Maoists to
the negotiating table for up to the third round of peace talks. However, the army had to
be deployed as the Maoists broke the ceasefire unilaterally and resumed their armed
struggle against the democratic establishment. The manner in which Prime Minister
Deuba was criticised at the party CWC meeting is indicative of the party president flexing
his muscles to grab power yet once again. Before this also Girija Prasad Koirala pulled
down a government led by Sher Bahadur Deuba. And there is no saying that he will not try
to overthrow this Deuba government also. Besides, since the very day Koirala resigned as
prime minister after his attempt to have the army deployed failed, he has been very vocal
against Deuba’s policy towards the Maoists. And later, Koirala took to openly
criticising the cease-fire with the Maoists and terming the latter "terrorists".
Now, he has again raised his voice through close aides against Prime Minister Deuba’s
moves against the Maoist movement. Yet this is hardly a time to criticise the government.
Rather, Koirala should be closing ranks with it in its bid to quell the insurgency.
Koirala should not forget that he himself never had to face criticism from within the
party for his own attempts to deal with the Maoist problem.
Intra-party squabbling within the NC has erupted
time and again since this party first came to power in 1991. Such skirmishing has always
resulted in political instability at the centre rather than strengthening the party for
service to the country. Prime Minister Deuba has not acted against the country’s
interests, nor has he failed to do whatever he could to maintain law and order. In fact
Deuba has taken firmer action against the Maoists than Girija Prasad Koirala himself ever
did. But party president Koirala has not acknowledged this fact. The party’s CWC
consists of 36 members, of them half are nominated by the party president. And party
president Koirala has always ended up nominating close aides only. Koirala has not even
allowed any leader — be he Krishna Prasad Bhattarai or Sher Bahadur Deuba — to
remain Prime Minister for much more than a year at a time. Koirala must realise that the
country is facing a critical situation. He should not attempt to topple or take over the
government at cost to the national interest. The NC has ruled the country for most of the
time since the restoration of democracy. And the country has suffered more economically
and politically during Koirala’s rule than during Deuba’s or Bhattarai’s.
The Koirala camp must learn to
show patient and work with the government to maintain law and order and at the same time
help revive the economy. |
