 |
||
|
||
OFF THE RECORD |
|
||
|
||
OFF THE RECORD |
Deuba The Great Minister of Information and Communication
Jaya Prakash Prasad Gupta believes Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's second coming has
proved to be golden age for Nepal. Gupta asserted proudly the other day that Deuba had
managed to do in seven months what Nepal's multiparty system couldn't do in 12 years.
Before you laugh off the minister's remark, step back and think a little. As soon as he
became prime minister, Deuba suspended all security operations against the Maoist rebels,
in effect, allowing them to accumulate weapons and regroup. The prime minister then
announced a ban on all forms of land transactions, rocking the backbone of the nation's
economy. Then he declared a state of emergency and mobilized the army to quell the
Maoists. Like the ratification of the Mahakali Treaty during his first tenure as prime
minister, Deuba was able to garner a two-thirds majority in favor of the emergency
proclamation. Imagine where the country would have been had Deuba not kindly consented to
become prime minister again. Comrades-In-Arm Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba enjoys
good company when it comes to sending shock waves across society. Although it may not be
easily apparent, Deuba's predecessor, Girija Prasad Koirala, and main opposition leader
Madhav Kumar Nepal are on the same side. Although Koirala and Nepal are die-hard rivals,
each is relying on the other. Thanks to this new friendship, Deuba is compelled to take a
range of drastic steps. Be it amending the constitution or redistributing land, Deuba has
received strong support from the Koirala-Nepal duo.
Where Is Ranabhat? When it comes to sentiments, House of
Representatives Speaker Taranath Ranabhat is a hardened man. When he addressed the media
after presenting the report on Royal Palace killings last year, he went on his own
"ratatatÖ" spree to prove the point the reporters weren't getting. Ranabhat was
one of the leading figures of the group of 36 dissidents in the ruling party that
compelled then-prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala to dissolve the House of
Representatives in 1995. He later joined the Koirala camp and became general secretary of
the party. When six police personnel on the speaker's security detail were killed in a
Maoist attack last week, Ranabhat felt no need to offer condolences to the victims'
families. For Ranabhat, these men were just doing their job.
Thapa's Thunder Whenever Rastriya Prajatantra Party leader
Surya Bahadur Thapa roars, you can expect something big to happen. Not long after the
former prime minister howled at the House of Representatives, all parties agreed to table
a proposal to amend the constitution. Thapa, who has been calling for all-party consensus
for the last two years ago, brought the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML on the same
platform. Although Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, Nepali Congress president Girija
Prasad Koirala and CPN-UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal are busy trying to take
sole credit for the consensus formulation, we know Thapa is the prime mover and shaper. |
Send your feedback to the
editor: spotligh@mos.com.np |
