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OFF THE RECORD |
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OFF THE RECORD |
Chand Vs. Thapa RPP leader and former prime minister
Lokendra Bahadur Chand is known as a hard-line pro-monarchist leader. Prime Minister Surya
Bahadur Thapa, who is regarded as a liberal politician, and Chand battled from rival sides
during the Panchayat days. In all of his four terms as prime minister, Chand had to fight
with Thapa. In 1982, Chand replaced Thapa through an impeachment motion in the
then-Rastriya Panchayat terming him "corrupt" and "inefficient". It
took Thapa nearly 14 years to take revenge against Chand. When Chand led a coalition
government with CPN-UML in 1997, Thapa pulled it down with support from the Nepali
Congress. This time, too, Thapa has replaced the soft-spoken Chand. It seems that in the
war between prime ministers, Thapa and Chand remain neck to neck.
Bijukchhe In Power Leader of Nepal Workers and Peasants Party
Narayan Man Bijukchhe is happy man these days. Although Bijukchhe supported CPN-UML
general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal as a consensus candidate for prime minister, he was
actually not in a happy mood. In the process, Bijukchhe nudged Koirala to add many
conditions before Nepal could become prime minister. Despite so many obstructions in the
process, the UML leader had no option but to go along with Bijukchhe, whose party has only
influence in Bhaktapur district. In recent times, Bijukchhe has secured a position equal
to the leaders of major political parties. Fools' Game? Politics is normally thought to be a game
of intelligent people. If the case of the Nepali Congress is any indication, it has become
one of fools. In the last five decades, whenever the Nepali Congress led a political
struggle, RPP leader Surya Bahadur Thapa got an opportunity to become prime minister. This
time, too, many senior Congress leaders had to go to hospital after police lathi-charge.
Former finance minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat, former minister of state for water resources
Laxman Prasad Ghimire and Nepali Congress spokesman Arjun Narsingh K.C. were among the
seriously injured. At the cost of their blood, Thapa became prime minister. Sportsmen's Dispute The Nepalese sports arena is very much dominated by the political factor. Be it in the Panchayat days or after the restoration of democracy, politicians have always intervened in the sector. A few years ago when Ganesh Thapa held the elections for All Nepal Football Association, chairman of Nepal Olympic Committee Rukma Sumsher JBR backed the rival group and rejected the elections result as illegal. Now Rana has landed in similar circumstances, when the member-secretary of the National Sports Council openly criticized the way the elections of the Nepal Olympic Committee were held. Rana, who has genuine cause in his favor, may face trouble, unless the NSC recognizes the elections. If the NSC intervenes, Rana would also have to fight the court
battle. Sushil's Vow Nepali Congress general secretary Sushil
Koirala has openly declared that he would not allow his former colleague Khum Bahadur
Khadka to re-enter the party. Although Congress president Girija Prasad Koirala has
already assured Khadka that he would be included in the central committee, junior Koirala
has declared he would go to any extent to block the entry of Khadka. Whether one likes it
or not, Koirala will reinstate Khadka. When UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal can
accept the leadership of the Nepali Congress president, who is Sushil da to block
Girijababu's wishes? |
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editor: spotligh@mos.com.np |
