National 1 (Spotlight Weekly)

On the Verge of Split

The division in Rastriya Prajatantra Party is harming the process of democratization in Nepal

By KESHAB POUDEL

When the country is struggling to protect its own interest and requires resolution of internal conflict, Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), party whose leader is currently heading the government, is in a big trouble and is struggling to keep its unity intact.

Following the expulsion of Kamal Thapa, Minister for Information and Communication, from the post of party general secretary by the RPP president Pashupati Sumsher Rana, the country’s twelve-year-old party is virtually on the brink of split.

Instead of finding any resolution to the internal conflict, the RPP leaders are now playing the anarchist game. Just a day after his expulsion from the party, Thapa barged into the party office with support from police and his loyalists.

“I am still the general secretary of the party. Our party constitution does not give any authority to the party president to dismiss the general secretary as per his wish,” said minister Thapa, assuming his chair showing the rival groups that he will not let party president Rana to act as he likes. “No body can split the party.”

Followers of the party president do not agree with Thapa. “Since party president appointed Thapa as the general secretary, he has the right to dismiss him. The person who can appoint, also has the right to dismiss,” said Roshan Karki, party spokesperson. “Prime minister cannot control the party by mobilizing the police.”

Since the democratic exercise and practice here is a very recent phenomenon, Nepal needs consolidation and unity among all its political forces. “Unfortunately, there are several different kinds of conflict which are dominating the political scenario of Nepal. Nepal has been in the bloody conflict with the Maoists. Every political party is fighting with their own types of internal conflicts. There is conflict among the monarchy and major political parties,” said an analyst.

Along with this broader conflict, another dimension of conflict that exists within the parties could be more dangerous and harmful for the country’s institutional building process. The division in the Nepali Congress, a liberal and centrist party, has already sent a wrong message. Although CPN-UML had united a few years back, there are frequent incidents of discord and division in the party.

The RPP, which has a bad history of unity and division, is now poised for another split thanks to its internal power struggle. Born twelve years ago as twins, the two RPPs merged after a few years when they faced humiliating debacle in the first general elections in 1991. The humiliating defeats in the elections compelled them to unite again in 1993.

Following the election of 1995, unified RPP emerged as the third largest party but it split in 1998 again. Following the debacle in the general election of 1998, the party re-united in 2001.

When the country as a whole is yearning for the resolution of conflict and praying for harmony in the relations within the country’s major political parties, the RPP’s internal conflict indicates otherwise.

“We will assure you that there will be no division in the party. I will not allow to split the party,” said minister Thapa. RPP president Rana also expresses similar commitment but they are yet to find a point to reach a resolution acceptable to all.

The solution is also not easier when party wants resignation of the prime minister and the latter does not see any reasons to comply with that wish. There is a hard stand with no signs of flexibility on either side.

Two years ago prime minister Surya Bahadur Thapa and minister Kamal Thapa had supported Rana in the party general convention and helped him get elected to the post of party president. At that time, the current finance minister Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani was in an opposite camp. In a matter of few years, the equation has changed with Rana baying for the blood of the Thapa duo even as Dr. Lohani supports them.

There is a complication of internal dimension of conflict but they can have a solution also. If RPP finds a solution, it could also be an eye opener to other conflicting parties.