NATIONAL 1 (Spotlight Weekly)]

At The Center Stage

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala stands rock hard before the fiery dissidents and uncompromising opposition

By KESHAB POUDEL

When a group of Congress workers issued statement last week urging Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to contest the forthcoming election of the party president, his loyalists were gleeful. The same statement, however, made the followers of former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba angry.

There are good reasons for Deuba loyalists to fume over Congress strongman Koirala as he had pre-empted every move of Deuba to pull him down in recent months.

In the last one month, Koirala has continued to put Deuba in a defensive position. In the central committee meeting last month, Koirala even agreed to include all the names in the list of active members submitted by Deuba group. The group includes former PM Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, Khum Bahadur Khadka and Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar.

Koirala: Rules the roost

Koirala's recent move to by-pass the Deuba committee and start talks with the Maoist dealt a big blow to Deuba who was developing an image as the only acceptable leader in the congres with whom Maoists would talks. Koirala's green signal to Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Poudel ( to talk with Maoists) has sent shock waves to the Deuba camp.

Even the expansion of the cabinet and central committee now seems less significant. After the resignation of former minister Khum Bahadur Khadka three months back Koirala was in a hurry to expand cabinet and central committee to save his government but now it is no more that important an issue for Koirala.

If the recent political development are any indication it shows that postponement of party's forthcoming general convention by three months (as per the demand of Deuba camp) is paying rich dividends to Prime Minister Koirala.

Despite calls from the dissidents that Koirala should step down from the party presidentship and not stand in the election in the forthcoming election, there is still a big possibility that he would do so.

"Koirala does not have any match in the party. Large number of party workers want him to continue as the party president," said Sunil Bhandari, member of Congress Central Working Committee.

In his last leg of political career, Koirala is still showing how to maintain iron grip in the party.

Despite his arch-rivals former prime ministers Krishna Prasad Bhattarai and Deuba's efforts to clip his influence, confident Koirala is gaining support in the party.

While confident Koirala is meeting congress workers, defiant Deuba is trying to snatch away Koirala's followers.

Deuba : Looking horns with mentor

"I want to establish democratic process in the country by defeating the tradition of slavery," thundered Deuba. "The time has now come to change the present leadership replacing older generation."

Deuba's confrontational attitude, congress insiders see, may put him in the corner. In the history of Congress party, every one who tries to challenge Koirala family has always lost. Whether it be Subarna Shumsher or Surya Prasad Upadhyaya, Bakhan Singh Gurung or Parshu Narayan Chaudhari, all of them had to sulk in isolation in the end. Even the "iron man" Ganesh Man Singh could not dislodge Girija Prasad Koirala during the early years of restoration of democracy.

Deuba's efforts may further weaken him in coming days and he could also end up facing similar fate, say political analysts.

The present political trend is a clear pointer that Koirala is once again going to become the strongman in the party's general convention slated for early next year.