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Kathmandu Thursday January 03, 2002 Paush 19, 2058.
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NC war again
With loyal lieutenants in the Koirala camp
hurling abuse at the rival camp with renewed energy, the struggle for power between ruling
party and government has seemingly ratcheted up. That all is not quiet on the Nepali
Congress (NC) front, following the declaration of emergency, is now more evident than
ever, and with NC General Secretary Sushil Koirala speaking a bellicose language, the
rival faction has spilled the beans. He claims he has "formally acquired information
that some of the cabinet ministers have been indulged in corruption." This is a
serious charge. But one can’t help wondering what has kept Koirala from laying the
evidence of corruption bare. If he manages this daunting task it would certainly be
auspicious for scoring political points, and climbing high on former prime minister Girija
Prasad Koirala’s preference scale. Or in all probability, the bombshell could be
another bout of dirty linen washing in public. It remains to be seen how the Deuba camp
will take up the challenge thrown by Koirala and company.
Verbal warfare is nothing unusual in NC
politics, but its coming in the middle of the emergency bespeaks the Koirala camp’s
urge to power. If there’s a better explanation for this sudden upsurge in NC
infighting, only the General Secretary knows. Opening the bag of secrets he claims to
possess should not have been a big deal, given the political dividends at stake in failing
to unzip it. Having tasted powerlessness for five months, the once powerful Koirala
henchmen have embarked on a campaign to bring the government down, much in keeping with NC
tradition. Former prime minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai was shunted out of office in one
such intra-party tussle. Koirala rose to power again two years ago promising to deliver
everything that Bhattarai had failed to deliver in his less than one year rule. How good
Koirala’s pledges were one soon saw and felt. Maoist rebellion only spread its
tentacles more menacingly, the very grounds on which Bhattarai was ousted. But Koirala
found the responsibility he willingly thrust upon himself burdensome.
Grumbling about not being allowed to deploy the
army against Maoist activity, the senior Koirala cleared the stage for Sher Bahadur Deuba,
his erstwhile protegee. In fact he openly acknowledged failing to perform on any of the
crucial fronts. Now after a brief respite, it seems his lust for power has rekindled, and
this has much to do with the mobilization of the army against terrorist activity. With the
army taking charge as an active law enforcing agency and the ensuing calm and security in
public life, Koirala thinks the stage is all set for him. And this time he is seeking to
ride the crest of a "broad democratic alliance". Though he himself has not been
so vocal in public, his lieutenants are more than vociferous in their zeal to bring the NC
president back to power. Up on the list is Chakra Prasad Bastola, former minister, who
sung praises to the "broad democratic alliance", whose commander in all
likelihood will be the senior Koirala. The other day former president of Nepal Students’
Union Chandra Bhandari suggested in the presence of Bhattarai that ten NC leaders should
be imprisoned on charges of thievery and corruption, including cabinet members. He too
echoed Sushil Koirala. It now appears that the solidarity the NC leaders demonstrated in
the immediate aftermath of emergency declaration has been thrown to the winds. NC
bickering is here to stay, subsiding only temporarily every so often. |
