National 3 (Spotlight Weekly)

One Man’s Choice

A single appeal by the Nepali Congress strongman could reunite the party

By KESHAB POUDEL

A mid the deep fissures in the Nepali Congress, some hope remains for unity on the premise that the rival factions would not embark any further a politically suicidal course. All eyes and hopes are on Nepali Congress president and former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala, who holds the key to unity. He could work miracles if he were to issue a four-line plea for party unity.

Some say it is too late. But a majority of Congress leaders, activists and supporters refuse to lose hope. A large number of Congress workers are still taking a neutral stand, hoping the party will eventually contest the elections united. At a time when Congress workers are very much worried about the future of the party, second-generation leader Ram Chandra Poudel has opened his mouth. Although Poudel’s remark does not have a great impact, his dream can materialize if Koirala were to show some kind of flexibility.

Koirala : Will he or won't be?

But will Koirala make such a unity plea? As a pragmatic politician with such a long history of democratic struggle, one cannot rule out that possibility. If the former prime minister can joins hands with die-hard ideological opponents, there is no reason why he cannot patch up differences with former proteges .

It was difficult for many who saw Koirala sign an agreement last week at the CPN-UML’s headquarters under the portraits of Marx, Lenin, Mao and Stalin calling for broader democratic alliance, along with the Rastriya Prajatantra Party leader Surya Bahadur Thapa, who had a long association with the dissolved Panchayat system, to believe that the split between Koirala and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is irreversible.

If Koirala can trust his political and ideological rivals in the UML and historical opponents in the RPP, Deuba, with whom Koirala has very insignificant differences, still seems to be his closest ally. Koirala and Deuba differed over whether to extend the state of emergency.

"We can still unite and contest the elections as a united force. If we go our separate ways, we will be finished not from the challenge of the opposition but from our own infighting," said former deputy prime Poudel, a Koirala loyalist. "The issue of who gets the election symbol would be irrelevant in the absence of unity." Poudel is not alone in holding this view. As the election approaches, there is desperation and apprehension in both camps. "If Girijababu calls for unity and dismisses the suspension order against the prime minister, Deuba and his team would have no option other than to return to the mainstream," says a political analyst.
"We just need Girijababu to withdraw the charges against Prime Minister Deuba and the suspension order so as to compel other leaders to join the mainstream," says a minister in Deuba’s cabinet, speaking on condition of anonymity. "A four-line statement from Girijababu will open the way for party unity."

Congress sympathizers, too, hope that Koirala, who has devoted several decades to building the Nepali Congress into a strong and nationwide organization, would ultimately pave the way for unification. "I still hope reason will prevail in the minds of people on both sides," said Poudel.

Some argue that the time for unity passed long ago. "After the decision of the Election Commission [on which faction represents the legitimate Nepali Congress], the politics will take its own course," says Arjun Narsingh K.C., spokesman of the Koirala-led Nepali Congress. Other people in both camps have been more forthright in rejecting the idea of unification.

But the half a dozen extreme opponents of unity in the Deuba and Koirala camps will soon realize the danger of contesting the elections as a divided house. Poudel’s call on the leaders of both factions to realize their political compulsions can be expected to gain greater momentum in the days ahead. If experience is any guide, Koirala may announce some drastic step even after the decision of the Election Commission.