National 1 (Spotlight Weekly)

Confrontational Course

Big mainstream political parties and the Maoists threaten to launch an agitation against the government

By A CORRESPONDENT

After a couple of months of relative tranquillity, Nepal's political course again appears to be heading toward chaos. The Maoist leaders have suddenly put forth new demands before beginning peace talks, as mainstream political parties have announced a nation-wide agitation to press for political reforms.

Interestingly, all these new political developments have taken place when King Gyanendra is on a 10-day religious trip to India. The Nepalese monarch received a warm welcome in India at the official level as well as at the various religious sites visited. Back home, political parties are focusing their ire on the monarchy.

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The political scene heated up following the statements of Maoist leaders Dr. Babu Ram Bhattarai and negotiator Krishna Bahadur Mahara, who accused the government of not fulfilling its commitment to peace. The chief government negotiator and Minister of Works and Physical Planning Narayan Singh Pun, too, expressed anger over the new demands put forth by the Maoists. "The Maoists are pushing new agendas one after another," said Pun. "In a peace process, there must be give and take."

The war of words between the government and the Maoists is understandable, as both face many complications before initiating peace talks. The sudden announcement of an agitation by the CPN-UML, Nepali Congress and two small radical communist outfits, however, is intriguing.

Whether it is coincidence or part of a calculated move, the threats of the Maoists and mainstream political parties appeared at a time when King Gyanendra met top Indian leaders at New Delhi before departing for the pilgrimage.

"The government is trying to disrupt the peace process," said Mahara. "It has shown a clear reluctance to release our leaders." In the six weeks since the cease-fire announced, the Maoist leaders for the first time issued a threat to the government.

The four mainstream parties have announced that they would launch a joint agitation from Nepalgunj. "We have decided to call an agitation after the failure of the palace to correct the constitutional mistakes," said UML leader Bharat Mohan Adhikary. "We gave two alternatives to the King - the reinstatement of the House of Representatives or the setting up of an all-party government with legislative powers."

Leaders of the big political parties have announced that they will launch a nation-wide agitation from March 29 to press King Gyanendra to dismiss Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand's government and form another all-party administration.

Although King Gyanendra met the leaders of major political parties before leaving for India, the politicians did not have the patience to wait for a couple of weeks before announcing the agitation. Nepali Congress leader Girija Prasad Koirala expressed concern that the King might take certain steps upon his return from India.

"It is something unusual that pressure has developed inside the country and the King has to give certain concessions to thaw the political agitation and threat of the Maoists," said a political analyst. "When national political forces are split into such different groups, they will have to rely on other forces to settle their issues."

As the country is yet to recover from the wounds of the insurgency and the law-and-order situation is yet to improve in the rural hinterland, the new language of threats political parties have adopted shows that the country is still a long way from achieving lasting peace.

Nepalese political parties have a tradition of pressing new demands when the country is caught in difficult times. In the last three decades, this is the game major political parties have played. Harping on the slogan of nationalism, they end up committing anti-national work.