National 5 (Spotlight Weekly)

Fall From Grace

A one-time rising political star has once again experienced a disgraceful exit from power

By KESHAB POUDEL

Sher Bahadur Deuba served for more than 32 months as prime minister during two tenures. He was removed disgracefully both times. His ouster last week on charges of "incompetence" was more damaging to his political career than his previous fall. King Gyanendra removed Deuba from office exercising extra-constitutional powers, terming him an "incompetent" prime minister.

It was reported that Deuba was unceremoniously removed when he rejected the King's advice to resign. "I don't want to talk about the ground of my removal," said Deuba in an interview with BBC Nepali the day after his ouster. "I can only say that my removal is undemocratic and against the spirit of the constitution."

Deuba's career has seen many ups and downs. Although he had two formidable rivals in the party - Shailaja Acharya and Ram Chandra Poudel - Deuba was picked to lead the coalition government in 1995 following the reinstatement of the House of Representatives by the Supreme Court.

He became prime minister through a house that was reinstated by the apex court that considered the dissolution unconstitutional and constitutional experts hold the view that the order is itself an unconstitutional. The circumstances surrounding his second exit have sparked another constitutional debate.

Deuba's first government collapsed after two of his party colleagues were mysteriously absent from a crucial confidence vote in parliament. Moreover, his coalition partner, the late Gajendra Narayan Singh, voted against his government in the last minute.

Although he had the authority to recommend the dissolution of the House of Representatives, Deuba just went to King and forwarded his resignation. Deuba also resigned from the post of parliamentary party leader in favor of Girija Prasad Koirala in 1997.

Deuba came into office a second time on a strong anti-Koirala platform. He showed political will when he felt betrayed by his own colleagues. He split the Nepali Congress, dissolved the House of Representatives and challenged Koirala's leadership in the party.

Deuba survived all his attacks but he was disgracefully removed when he submitted a proposal to postpone the elections scheduled for November. He suddenly found himself trapped in his own proposal.

The leading political players of the country considered Deuba's removal unusual, especially since he was thought to have close relations with the palace. Some former colleagues accused him of being too close to King Gyanendra. Many Congress leaders accused him of trying to hand power back to the palace.

Just a few weeks after assuming power, Deuba declared a cease-fire against the Maoist rebels and opened peace talks. When negotiations broke down and the Maoists attacked a military barracks in Dang, Deuba imposed a state of emergency and mobilized the military against the rebels for the first time.

He also made his mark in foreign affairs. Deuba successfully organized the summit of the seven-nation South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, offering a forum for the two bitter rivals of South Asia, India and Pakistan, to cool off some of their tensions. When everything was going on smoothly, Deuba went to United States and Britain, where he met President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair and sought to project Nepal's battle against the Maoists as part of the wider war on terrorism.

Deuba's political troubles began after his return from the West. Nepali Congress president Koirala, who returned from an official visit to India at the invitation of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, ordered Deuba not to extend the state of emergency.

This wrangling led to a split in the party and the beginning of his political descent. His one-time supporters in the CPN-UML and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party and other opposition groups aligned themselves with Koirala. Finally, when all political party pressed him to withdraw the proposal for the extension of state of emergency, Deuba dissolved the house.

His dissolution order was challenged in court and it took him nearly three months to win a verdict of support. While the Election Commission refused to go along with his claim that he represented the legitimate Nepali Congress, it allowed him to register his group as Nepali Congress (Democratic) and granted him a separate election symbol. When Deuba thought he had won all his battles, he encountered another major jolt: removal on charges of incompetence.

Although King Gyanendra invited him for consultations on the current impasse days after his removal, Deuba has a difficult time ahead in maintaining political leverage. His party is yet to establish itself as a credible political force. One example of the former prime minister's predicament: His one-time guru Koirala has declared he would not take part in any meeting that includes Deuba.