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OFF THE RECORD |
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OFF THE RECORD |
War Of Words The war of words between Nepali Congress
president Girija Prasad Koirala and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has entered its
second round. During the first phase, the lieutenants of Koirala and his disciple, Deuba,
were busy trading vicious diatribes. But the two men soon became directly involved in
the conflict, accusing each other of being a "conspirator",
"reactionary" and "regressive". The name-calling reached a point
where Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, the only founder member of the party still alive,
felt compelled to intervene. After the former prime minister's intervention, the warring
factions lowered their voices. But nobody knows how long the cease-fire will last,
especially when Koirala and Deuba lieutenants are busy provoking the rival camps. Koirala's Voice Nepali Congress spokesman Arjun Narsingh
K.C. seems to believe he is the voice of former prime minister Girija Prasad
Koirala. Although Nepali Congress president was replying to queries from reporters
at a function organized to celebrate the founding day of the Rastriya Prajatantra
Party, K.C. intervened as if to assert his right. The ensuing moments suggested that
Koirala needed K.C.'s permission to keep talking. Koirala tried to avoid direct
confrontation while referring to his rivals, but K.C. exhausted his vocabulary of
derogatory terms in describing Deuba and his supporters. Is K.C.'s role primarily to
present and explain the Nepali Congress' position or to widen the differences
between Koirala and Deuba? New Bombshell? Political analysts are carefully watching
the visit of Nepali Congress president Girija Prasad Koirala to China. Actually, they are
wondering what bombshell the ruling party chief might drop upon his return. Following his
five-day visit to India, Koirala began his anti-monarchy and anti-army slogans. In fact,
whenever Koirala visits a foreign country, he returns with some controversy or the other.
Considering Koirala's record and the composition of the delegation that accompanied him to
China, it is likely that the Congress supremo will become more aggressive after his
return. What else would explain his decision to go on a trip abroad at a time when his
party is on the verge of a damaging split?
UML's Solidarity UML leaders understand the importance of
intra-party solidarity and are using their words very carefully. Even after the
dissolution of the House of Representatives, UML leaders are making carefully calculated
statements to avoid bruising the sentiments of party colleagues. At a time when the Nepali
Congress is on the verge of split, the UML is busy harping the cause of party unity. For
an organization that blames its failure to be in power today on the damaging split four
years ago, circumspection is the operative word. RPP's Jubilation
Twelve years ago, Rabindra Nath
Sharma offered his home at Sanepa to the Rastriya Prajatantra Party leaders, who were
desperately searching for a venue to organize their first press conference. Today, there
is no dearth of space for the party. RPP leaders have transformed themselves from a group
of pariahs to one of the most sought after segments of the political class. At their first
press conference, attendance was thin. Today the RPP counts among its well wishers those
who stoned them in 1990. This transformation was not easy. It took nearly a decade for RPP
leaders to prove that they are much better than people thought they were. At a time when
the country's major political party is on the verge of split, RPP leaders are preaching
the virtues of unity. |
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