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Deuba's Woes
Supporters of Prime Minister Sher
Bahadur Deuba appeared alarmed when his predecessor, Girija Prasad Koirala, began a
whirlwind tour of the country. Although Koirala has not yet unleashed his customary
full-blown criticism of a government led by a party colleague, Deuba's followers see the
former prime minister's tour as part of a plan to topple their leader. There are ample
reasons for suspicion, though. When no followers of Deuba are invited to Koirala's mass
meetings, the prime minister's men have to rely on speculation, rather than first-hand
information, on the rival camp's strategy. And suspicion fuels further suspicion. After
completing 100 days in office, Deuba aides feel their boss's troubles have begun. Whatever
the motives of Koirala, Deuba is desperately looking for some reassurance. If they are
kept in the dark for too long, Deuba supporters might decide to launch a pre-emptive
strike by openly criticizing the rival camp. Poudel's Double-speak
Former deputy prime minister and
Nepali Congress Central Committee member Ram Chandra Poudel has again proved his gift for
double-speak. Since his resignation from the Girija Prasad Koirala cabinet a few months
ago, Poudel has failed to find a comfortable place in internal party politics. Prime
Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and Koirala are cold-shouldering Poudel. The man has
become a leader without allies within the party. To regain ground, however, Poudel has
chosen the path of opportunism. Two weeks ago, when Poudel shared a dais with Deuba, he
hailed the prime minister's role in dealing with the Maoists and criticized Koirala. Last
week, when Poudel was with Koirala in the eastern town of Jhapa, he spared no time in
defending Koirala's role in forming public opinion against the Maoists. Since one of his
contemporaries is the prime minister and the grand old man of the Nepali Congress is
showing no signs of vacating the top party position any time soon, Poudel does not see a
viable alternative to speaking from both sides of his mouth. Political Ritual When it comes to celebrating, Nepalese
leaders have some peculiar characteristics. The birthday of the head of state, national
day and other anniversaries are important occasions for rejoicing. But the way leaders
celebrate Constitution Day is rather strange. Although all political leaders violate key
constitutional provisions day in and day out, they find Constitution Day an opportune time
to realize their mistakes. If anything, our leaders need to celebrate Constitution Day
every day of the year by firmly adhering to its letter and spirit. Sparring Speakers
Relations between House of
Representatives Speaker Taranath Ranabhat and his predecessor, Daman Nath Dhungana,
seem to have hit a new low. At a recent talk program organized to discuss the
constitution, the two men spent most of their time comparing and contrasting their
own roles. It was not clear what drew the two men into a competition to establish their
supremacy in a public forum. But the tone and tenor of the exchange provided enough
evidence of the chill that has set in.
Deuba-Nepal Duel When leader of the main opposition Madhav
Kumar Nepal's described Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba as an immobile lump of flesh,
the premier was certainly not amused. Nepal's characterization came in the context of his
accusation that Deuba was little more than a power-hungry politician. The premier didn't
find the opposition leader's metaphor particularly apt. Although he listened to Nepal's
blistering criticism with calm, Deuba launched his own tirade against the opposition
leader, saying that he lacked patience. However, could the premier really have ignored the
reality that a patient opposition leader is a contradiction in terms? |
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editor: spotligh@mos.com.np |
